Claude Monet Analysis

Pimnara Wattanapongsin - 5780744

Four Groups of Monet’s Paintings

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece,” said Claude Monet (as cited in “Waterlilies Nympheas,” n.d.). Monet loved to paint people and places that he was familiar with. Throughout his life, Monet spent a lot of time producing many famous paintings, which captured his exquisite garden; his garden was something that he took immense pride in. He was fascinated by the beauty and the movement of nature. Although he only painted in the same Impressionist style, there were some differences, such as interactions, feelings, and experiences created in each work. Claude Monet’s artworks can be classified by the subject matters into four groups, which are humans, the sea, trees, and

A flower is a subject matter that demonstrates artists’ vision of the beauty of natural elements. Most art pieces in this group were painted in Monet’s garden. His house had an exquisite garden, which was his most prized possession. The flowers were nurtured lovingly by Monet himself. In addition, in 1892, he constructed greenhouses because he became more interested in flower subjects (Robinson as cited in “Monet’s years,” 1978). The painting color scheme associated with flowers uses many colorful tones to make the painting more lively. The sunlight is used as the main light source; however, Monet also produced flower art pieces that used only the subtle evening light. He painted in every condition of light and weather. Monet expressed that he did not mention the subject because what he intended to represent is interaction between the subject and himself (as cited by Potter, 2002). An illustration of this group is Water Lilies, Evening Effect, which was painted in 1899. It is one of Monet’s set of artworks depicting water lilies at his water garden at Giverny. In Water Lilies, Evening Effect, he painted water lilies floating on the surface of the pond at night. The water lilies are luminous, while the water is nearly opaque. Monet used bright colors, such as white and yellow on the flowers to make a contrast with the dark blue on the water (Potter, 2002). The subtle evening light illuminates the water lilies and their leaves. The complexity of color and light in Water Lilies, Evening Effect uncovers audiences’ aspects about nature’s diversity, also the depth and complication of life. The painter intended to create the water lily pond to be more than a common garden (“Waterlilies Nympheas,”