Claude Monet “Water-lilies”: a longer look

An excellent study morning at the National Gallery looking in detail at their Water-lilies picture by Money which has recently returned from Tate Modern.

The morning was led by James Heard who began by setting the picture in the context of Monet’s life and work. We took a detailed look at some of the series pictures and talked about why he was doing them. After a quick coffee we looked at the water-lilies pictures. I hadn’t realised they had been commissioned by the French Prime Minister Clemenceau as a war memorial. I was fascinated to see the pictures of them in Monet’s studio.

The tutor handed round pictures of several of the studies and asked us in groups to think about why these pictures were so radical when compared to other pictures of the time and to think about why they appeal to a post-modern eye. Usually these sessions are purely lectures so it was nice to get a bit more interaction and discussion going.

Finally we spent some time in front of the picture and looked at the other National Gallery pictures from Giverny.

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