Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect 1903

Claude Monet painted this view of Waterloo Bridge, probably in 1903, with oil on canvas. Look at how the light seems to dissolve the forms; the bridge, the buildings, even the water seem like shifting apparitions! Monet's marks here are all about the surface, those visible strokes of paint that build into a whole. The paint isn't particularly thick, but it's laid down in a way that makes you really conscious of its materiality. See that horizontal stroke of peachy orange, right up at the top? It's like a little sun, barely breaking through the fog. It’s a dab of warmth in a cool haze. This reminds me of Turner, another artist who was obsessed with light and atmosphere. Both of them show us that painting isn't just about recording what we see, but about feeling the world, too. And that feeling is always in motion, never fixed, but always changing.