À propos de l’œuvre
Prairie à Giverny, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1894 · Princeton y1954-78 · W1368
Meadow in Giverny W1368hand painted reproduction
Two very tall poplars stand out in an almost pearly sky, above a meadow covered in blue, green and yellow. On the left, a lower clump of trees closes the horizon. Monet lets a deep breath around the trunks and builds spring with light touches rather than botanical description.
Look at the work
A Giverny meadow where two thin trees measure the immensity of a spring sky
The vertical format accentuates the momentum of the two poplars placed in the right half. The closest goes up almost to the upper edge; the second, thinner, stands back. The rounded mass of trees on the left balances these lines without closing the vast pink-gray sky.
The meadow occupies the lower half in a weave of lavender blue, soft green and pale yellow. The trees do not have compact foliage: blue and green touches reveal the sky between the branches. This porosity gives the whole scene its delicate character.
The simplicity of the pattern hides a very exact construction: two isolated verticals are enough to give scale to the sky, the meadow and the distance.
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.
One of four meadows painted in 1894
The Princeton Museum specifies that this painting belongs to a group of four views of the meadow at Giverny executed the same year. Monet uses a similar pattern, but modifies the spacing of the trees, the state of the sky and the dominant color.
The tender hues of early spring
The museum notice highlights the quivering and delicate colors of an early spring. The yellows are not bright and the greens remain mixed with blue; this restraint maintains the impression of fresh air.
A depth without architectural perspective
The distance arises from the difference in scale between the two poplars, the grove on the left and the very low line of trees on the right. The meadow retains oblique streaks which lead gently towards the horizon.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The single reference image measures 2,505 × 3,200 px. The maximum file provided by Princeton has been reduced from 3,613 px high and converted to real WebP, without artificial enlargement.
Two poplars off-center in a large void
The sky around the trees is essential. A copy that is too cropped or too loaded would lose the elegance of the format and the tension between the thin trunks and the compact grove.
Lavender blue, soft green and primrose yellow
These colors are repeated in the soil and foliage, but with different proportions. The gray pink of the sky acts as a luminous background which softens their contrasts.
A fine but noticeable touch
The brush strokes crisscross in the meadow, tighten in the grove and lengthen in the trunks. The material must remain visible without artificially thickening the sky.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
These data concern the Prairie in Giverny de Princeton, object y1954-78 and Wildenstein catalog 1368.
Princeton y1954-78, W1368
This oil on canvas from 1894 measures 92 × 73 cm. Monet signs it in blue and dates it 94 at the bottom left.
From artist to legacy Henry K. Dick
The work notably passed through Bernheim-Jeune, Durand-Ruel and the Prince of Wagram before being acquired in 1923 by Henry K. Dick, who bequeathed it to Princeton in 1954.
The Giverny countryside
Based in Giverny since 1883, Monet draws from meadows, trees and seasonal variations close to his house. Here the subject is an open landscape and not the water garden.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The exact version of Princeton y1954-78 and Wildenstein 1368
- The original vertical format of 92 × 73 cm
- The large pearly sky left calm around the two poplars
- The blue, green and yellow weave of the meadow without uniform flat areas
Work sheet
| Title | Meadow in Giverny W1368 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1894 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 92 × 73 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, United States |
| Inventory | y1954-78 · Wildenstein 1368 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Soft green, lavender blue, primrose yellow, gray pink and ivory form a bright and relaxing reproduction. The vertical format is suitable for a narrow wall, entrance or space between two openings, with light oak, linen and cream tones.
