À propos de l’œuvre
Nymphéas, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1916 -1919 · Fondation Beyeler 03.2 · W1854
Water lilies, Fondation Beyeler W1854hand painted reproduction
In this large vertical format, the surface of the pond completely fills the field. Water lily leaves arrive from the upper left edge, disperse towards the center then leave a vast area of blue, pink and green reflections. No horizon, no bank and no sky orient the space. Monet transforms water into an unstable depth where plants float in front of colors that seem both near and far.
Look at the work
The leaves descend diagonally into a water space without a bank, crossed by pink and blue reflections
Water lilies group together mainly in the upper half. Their discs are never identical: some are olive green, others red, blue or yellow brown, with sometimes open edges. A few pink and white flowers appear between them. Their succession draws a flexible diagonal which animates the height without becoming a regular frieze.
Beneath this plant group, the water widens into large areas of turquoise, mauve and deep blue. Darker vertical lines evoke the reflections of the trees while horizontal touches maintain the surface sensation. These two directions continually intersect. The bottom of the canvas remains more open, but its pink and green passages prevent any reading of a uniform void.
Without a horizon, the eye no longer knows whether it is observing a surface, a reflection or a depth: water lilies are the only stable landmarks.
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 diagonal of irregular leaves
The size, color and orientation of water lilies are constantly changing. Reproducing their rhythm without aligning them is essential to maintaining the natural movement of the pond.
Vertical reflections crossed by water
The blue and green bands suggest trees off-camera, but they are interrupted by horizontal touches. This superposition gives the pool its ambiguous depth.
A large format that remains bright
The dark blue and purple areas contain many light passages. Closing them in opaque masses would weigh down the work and make breathing disappear from the bottom of the composition.
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 reference photograph measures 3,057 × 3,397 px. Both native details measure 1,400 × 1,800 px. No files have been artificially enlarged; all three media are true decodable WebPs.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
This information concerns the large vertical water lilies of the Fondation Beyeler, inventory 03.2 and Wildenstein 1854.
Beyeler Foundation 03.2, Wildenstein 1854
Painted between 1916 and 1919, this oil on canvas measures 200 × 180 cm. The Fondation Beyeler keeps it under number 03.2; it corresponds to number 1854 of the Wildenstein catalog raisonné.
From Michel Monet to the Beyeler collection
After Claude Monet, the painting belonged to his son Michel Monet. It then passed through Wildenstein & Co., then through a private American collection from 1983 before its sale at Christie's on May 9, 2001.
Acquired for the Beyeler collection in 2001
The work joined the Beyeler collection in 2001 and was transferred to the Beyeler-Stiftung in 2003. Its two meters height make it a physical experience as much as a study of the reflections of the Giverny water garden.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The monumental version of the Fondation Beyeler, 03.2 and W1854
- The original vertical format of 200 × 180 cm
- The diagonal of the water lilies preserved without mechanical repetition
- Vertical reflections kept visible under horizontal water keys
Work sheet
| Title | Water lilies, Fondation Beyeler W1854 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1916 - 1919 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 200 × 180 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Fondation Beyeler, Riehen /Basel, Switzerland |
| Inventory | 03.2 · Wildenstein 1854 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Deep blue, turquoise, olive green, powder pink and red brown give this reproduction an enveloping presence. Its vertical format is suitable for a high wall or open space, with natural materials, dark wood and side light that reveals touch variations.
