Image © Experience Music Project
Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926). Le Bassin au Nympheas, 1919. Oil on canvas. 39 3/9 x 78 7/8 in. Private Collection of Paul G. Allen.
More than any other artist in the Impressionist circle, Claude Monet never tired of exploring the movement down to its most basic elements. He'd methodically - albeit rapidly - paint the exact same scene over and over, the only variables being the angles of light, time of day and weather conditions. It is a testament to his patience and artistic mastery that these same scenes all came out distinctly different from one another.
Here we see one of the numerous, large "waterlilies" for which Monet is so well-known today. He'd enlarged his pond in the gardens at Giverny for the final time in 1910, but was plagued afterward with depression over the death of his beloved wife, Alice (in 1914), increasingly problematic cataracts and the considerable distractions of WWI. By the time 1919 rolled around, he was bravely attempting to soldier on in an expanded studio, the walls of which were covered for 360-degrees with massive canvases meant for pictures of his pond. Le Bassin au Nympheas is one result of his determination to continue painting - regardless - until he drew his last breath. We are so fortunate that he made the effort.
This painting is paired with Willem de Kooning's Untitled XII (1975) in the exhibition Double Take: From Monet to Lichtenstein. Points to ponder: both paintings are large in scale (yet organized around a center), make full use of the available canvas and were executed in such a way that texture and perceived depth play prominent roles.
About the Exhibition:
"Double Take: From Monet to Lichtenstein" is on view from April 8 through September 24, 2006 at the Experience Music Project, 325 5th Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109 (on the Seattle Center Campus; Telephone 206.367.5483 or 1.877.367.5483). The EMP is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Extended summer hours (effective Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend) are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM every day. "Double Take: From Monet to Lichtenstein" is a ticketed exhibition. Information on pricing and online purchasing of tickets is available here.
Here we see one of the numerous, large "waterlilies" for which Monet is so well-known today. He'd enlarged his pond in the gardens at Giverny for the final time in 1910, but was plagued afterward with depression over the death of his beloved wife, Alice (in 1914), increasingly problematic cataracts and the considerable distractions of WWI. By the time 1919 rolled around, he was bravely attempting to soldier on in an expanded studio, the walls of which were covered for 360-degrees with massive canvases meant for pictures of his pond. Le Bassin au Nympheas is one result of his determination to continue painting - regardless - until he drew his last breath. We are so fortunate that he made the effort.
This painting is paired with Willem de Kooning's Untitled XII (1975) in the exhibition Double Take: From Monet to Lichtenstein. Points to ponder: both paintings are large in scale (yet organized around a center), make full use of the available canvas and were executed in such a way that texture and perceived depth play prominent roles.
About the Exhibition:
"Double Take: From Monet to Lichtenstein" is on view from April 8 through September 24, 2006 at the Experience Music Project, 325 5th Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109 (on the Seattle Center Campus; Telephone 206.367.5483 or 1.877.367.5483). The EMP is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Extended summer hours (effective Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend) are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM every day. "Double Take: From Monet to Lichtenstein" is a ticketed exhibition. Information on pricing and online purchasing of tickets is available here.