The Water-Lily Pond

In 1883 Monet moved to Giverny where he lived until his death. There, on the grounds of his property, he created a water garden "for the purpose of cultivating aquatic plants," over which he built an arched bridge in the Japanese style.  In 1899, once the garden had matured, the painter undertook 17 views of the motif under differing light conditions. Surrounded by luxuriant foliage, the bridge is seen here from the pond itself, among an artful arrangement of reeds and willow leaves.

In a letter, Monet described how he had planted the water lilies for fun—he had never intended painting them, however, once they established themselves they almost became his only source of inspiration. He wrote: "I saw, all of a sudden, that my pond had become enchanted... Since then, I have had no other model."

Have a calm Saturday! And don't forget to read the brief story of Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny here. <3

P.S. BTW, did you check our new Get Lucky feature? Just tap the clover button in the upper-right and get a random masterpiece from our Archive. You can do this endlessly.  Enjoy!  : )