Water Lilies 1907

Claude Monet painted these Water Lilies, likely in France, with oil on canvas, probably around 1907. It’s a dance of light, color, and texture. Up close, you’ll see how Monet built this world with short, choppy strokes. The paint isn’t trying to hide; it’s right there on the surface, thick and juicy in places. The greens, purples, and pinks aren’t blended so much as layered, creating this shimmering effect. Look at the way the light hits those lily pads at the bottom right. See how he uses these almost calligraphic strokes to suggest form, but really, it’s all about the movement of light across the water? It's like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment, a feeling rather than a fixed image. Monet was obsessed with capturing these subtleties throughout his career. You could say he was in conversation with Turner, maybe Whistler, but he pushed further into abstraction. It’s like he’s saying, “Let’s see how much we can suggest with just a few strokes, how much feeling we can pack into color.” It is an open-ended invitation to see the world, and art, in new ways.