À propos de l’œuvre
La piscine de l'eau, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1899 · Metropolitan Museum · W1518
The Bridge over the Water Lilies Basin, Met W1518hand painted reproduction
A blue-green footbridge forms a large arch above the Giverny basin. The vertical format, unusual for this motif, stacks the foliage, the bridge then two layers of water lilies up to the foreground. The photograph of the work framed at the Metropolitan Museum reveals a particularly lively palette, rich in greens, pinks, yellows and touches of turquoise.
Look at the work
The vertical format lowers the gaze from the foliage to the water lilies in the foreground
The bridge occupies the upper third, with a light balustrade that stands out against the willows and shrubs. Its dark arch frames a first area of water and vegetation. The uprights remain slightly irregular: they follow the light rather than the perfect geometry of a new construction.
Under the footbridge, several strips of water lilies follow one another. The white, pink and yellow flowers become larger as they descend towards the lower edge. Olive green, turquoise and red-brown reflections connect these groups, while the signature dated 1899 appears at the bottom right.
The arch organizes the entire composition, but it is the variations in scale of the water lilies that give the pool its true depth.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
A vertical in three registers
The foliage closes the top, the bridge builds the middle and the water extends downwards. Each register has its key direction, without a sudden break between garden and reflection.
A clear but never white gateway
The rails mix pale blue, lavender, green and a few roses. Their temperature changes depending on the foliage placed behind them and their proximity to the water.
Water lilies enlarged towards the foreground
The small flowers squeezed under the bridge become wide, separate touches at the bottom. This progression is essential to prevent the vertical surface from appearing flat.
Details and visual documents
Observe the material and the exact version
The additional images show the difficult-to-read passages in the full view and, where it exists, the actual appearance of the work at the museum.
The actual photograph of the work framed at the Metropolitan Museum measures 3,288 × 4,051 px. Native details reach 2,800 × 1,700 px and 2,700 × 1,700 px. No artificial magnification has been applied and all three files are true high definition WebPs.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These facts concern this precise version and are verified from the notice of the institution which keeps it.
Met 29.100.113, Wildenstein 1518
The Metropolitan Museum titles the work Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies and the date 1899. This oil on canvas measures 92.7 × 73.7 cm and corresponds to number 1518 of the Wildenstein catalog.
Eighteen views taken at the Giverny garden
The Met indicates that Monet began a series of eighteen views of the basin in 1899 and completed twelve during the summer. This vertical version places particular emphasis on the water lilies and their reflections under the footbridge.
A legacy entered the Metropolitan Museum in 1929
The work belongs to the collection of Henry O. and Louisine Havemeyer. She joined the Met in 1929 by the bequest of Mrs. HO Havemeyer and has since had the accession number 29.100.113.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version of the Metropolitan Museum, 29.100.113 and W1518
- The original vertical format of 92.7 × 73.7 cm
- The arch and balustrade kept soft in the foliage
- The gradual enlargement of the water lilies to the foreground
Work sheet
| Title | The Bridge over the Water Lilies Basin, Met W1518 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1899 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 92.7 × 73.7 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States |
| Inventory | 29.100.113 · Wildenstein 1518 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Garden green, turquoise blue, lavender, light pink and lemon yellow make up a bright and dense image. This vertical reproduction is suitable for a narrow wall, entrance or space between two openings, surrounded by natural wood, linen or cream tones.
