A radical framing
The bridge is cut on the sides and by the upper edge. This proximity places the viewer almost under the work and gives the scene the immediacy of a fragment observed on site.
Canvas reproduction
The format automatically adapts to the original artwork.
Oil painting on rolled canvas, unframed. Custom size available on request.
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Artwork description
Claude Monet · Argenteuil · Road bridge under reconstruction
Monet frames a single arch of the Argenteuil road bridge, wrapped in scaffolding after its destruction during the war of 1870. Above pass pedestrians and cars; below, the calm Seine doubles the entire structure.

Look at the work
The bridge cuts almost the entire width of the canvas in its upper part. Monet only shows an arch, supported on the right by a forest of vertical and oblique beams. On the deck, a horse-drawn carriage, workers and walkers compose a lively line, very dark against the sky.
The arch opens a window to the other bank: a yellow building, boats and distant smoke appear in the center. In the Seine, the frames are extended by an inverted reflection which almost closes an oval around this landscape. Modern reconstruction thus becomes a complex pictorial architecture.
Scaffolding is not an obstacle to the landscape: it cuts it out, reflects it and gives it an entirely new depth.
Composition, touch and light
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
The bridge is cut on the sides and by the upper edge. This proximity places the viewer almost under the work and gives the scene the immediacy of a fragment observed on site.
The actual curve and its image in the water form a large central contour. The reflections must remain more flexible and more broken than the beams so that the surface of the Seine remains sensitive.
The silhouettes on the deck, car and boats create multiple reading speeds. A few precise accents are enough: detailing them excessively would reduce the size of the bridge.
Reference image
The reference reproduces the entire W195 framing, the car straddling the deck and the tight construction of the beams, essential elements so as not to confuse this version with the other bridge under repair painted the same year.
The bridge is deliberately truncated and dominates the composition like a modern structure seen up close.
Cold evening light warms near the horizon and repeats in the water without mechanical symmetry.
The beams require sharper touches, the pillars require dense masses and the Seine require smoother horizontal passages.
Documented benchmarks
The Sotheby's notice documents the dimensions, provenance and historical context of this major painting painted in Argenteuil in 1872.
The Argenteuil road bridge was destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War. Monet observed the reconstruction and resumption of traffic.
Manet acquired the work directly from Monet the year of its creation, an important recognition from the eldest of the modern group.
The oil on canvas measures 54 × 73 cm. It belonged in particular to the Canonne, Norton Simon and Gustav Rau collections before its sale in 2013.
Your reproduction
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
| Title | The W195 wooden bridge |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1872 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 54 × 73 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Private collection, Long-term loan announced at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 195 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
The geometry of the bridge and its smoky browns are suitable for a contemporary living room, office or library. A walnut, matte black or patinated bronze frame accompanies the architectural force of the composition.
Custom order
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Select the desired size before ordering.
Your reproduction is hand-painted entirely in oil.
We send you a photo to validate the result before shipping.
You receive your canvas rolled, protected, and shipped with tracking.
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