Nymphéas Avec Reflets De Hautes Herbes 1914 - 1917

Monet made this oil painting, Nymphéas Avec Reflets De Hautes Herbes, with an approach to mark-making that's all about capturing a fleeting moment, a process of feeling more than seeing, you know? Looking closely, the colors feel almost breathed onto the canvas; blues, greens, and lavenders blend together in these watery reflections. The paint isn't trying to hide itself; you can see each stroke. Those tall grasses, for instance, are made of long, curved lines, like cursive writing, and they seem to be dancing, not just standing there. I love how the texture makes you feel like you could reach out and touch the water, or maybe even fall right in. Monet was doing something similar to what Turner was up to, a kind of dissolving of form. It feels like an ongoing conversation about how we see, and what painting can do.