Waterloo Bridge 1901

Curator: There’s an ethereal quality to Monet’s "Waterloo Bridge," painted in 1901. The entire scene shimmers. Editor: It really does! My first impression is of something shrouded – mystery in plain sight. It is hard to believe it's London. I see the bridge alright, and something resembling buildings in the background, but the overall mood is incredibly dreamy and subdued. Curator: Dreamy's a perfect word. The color palette certainly contributes; it's dominated by muted blues and lavenders that dissolve outlines. Even the sun feels soft, as if diffused through layers of fog. What do you make of those plumes of smoke rising in the background? Editor: For me, those plumes transform the painting into something more complex than a mere city view. The steam almost takes on the feeling of exhalations or sighs rising from the heart of the city. As in a sort of mythical presence. London as dragon, maybe? Curator: Haha! I like that, though Monet might just say they are evidence of the industrial revolution. But the symbolism could well be present if only by chance. He made several paintings of Waterloo Bridge, each capturing a different atmosphere, and it's easy to read a sense of romantic yearning or nostalgia into the series. Editor: Yes. When I look at this canvas, it’s not only what’s painted, but also how the atmospheric effects create such mood and feeling. One might even see a premonition in those smokestacks – something that speaks to a world moving away from clear forms into something vaguer, and less defined. A truly remarkable feature. Curator: Indeed, Monet takes an identifiable cityscape and transmutes it into a poetic expression. There is something enduring about how he saw those fleeting moments that continues to intrigue us. Editor: Absolutely. He seems to suggest more than he actually depicts. Like a fading memory or half-remembered story, and in a manner of speaking that feeling is the most permanent element in this picture. It is quite lovely to consider.