Water Lilies 1919

Claude Monet painted his Water Lilies over many years, focusing on his garden in Giverny. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Impressionists, including Monet, sought to capture fleeting moments and the subjective experience of light and color. These paintings can be viewed as both an escape from the rapidly industrializing world, and as a meditation on the beauty and serenity of nature. But these lush paintings were made in a Europe reeling from the first World War. As such, they represent an attempt to find solace in the natural world, a space apart from the anxieties of modern life. Monet once said that, through his paintings, he wanted to capture “the reflections of the sky and the clouds in the water.” So, consider the emotional depths of the artwork as you find yourself drawn into Monet's vision, where the personal and political intersect, and art offers a space for contemplation in the face of societal upheaval.