In 1890, Claude Monet achieved financial success, enabling him to purchase and expand his property in Giverny. He transformed it into his own paradise, including the famous garden.
The Japanese Bridge (water lily pond) 1899
Monet's garden featured flowers, plants, trees, a pond, and a bridge. He planted water lilies in the pond, creating a scene rich with beautiful reflections and colors. Monet spent countless hours painting the water lilies and their reflections.
Water lilies (1906)
Initially, he focused on capturing the changes in light and the appearance of the water lilies. However, a series of personal tragedies struck Monet.
In 1911, Monet's second wife, Alice, passed away when he was 71 years old. A few years later, in 1914, as World War I began, his son Jean also died.
Jean's widow, Blanche, returned to Giverny to help Monet, who was deeply grieving. During this difficult time, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, a journalist, friend, and supporter of Monet, commissioned him to create works for the war-torn nation.
Water Lily pond (1919)
Water Lilies (1919)
Water Lilies (1917)
By 1920, at the age of 80, Monet developed cataracts in both eyes due to extreme stress and aging. Cataracts severely impacted Monet, who had spent his life capturing the nuances of light and color. The condition altered how he perceived colors, often causing him to paint with a reddish or ultraviolet hue.
Although cataract surgery was available, Monet initially refused it, fearing he might lose his vision entirely. Clemenceau eventually persuaded Monet to undergo surgery on one eye first.
After the successful surgery on one eye, Monet felt confident and underwent surgery on the other eye, regaining much of his vision.
Despite the delays caused by the war, Monet completed his grand project for the nation in 1922—a series of monumental water lily paintings. Each painting measured 2 meters high and 6 meters long.
Monet passed away four years later in 1926 from lung cancer. Typically, coffins were covered with black cloth, but Clemenceau insisted on covering Monet's coffin with a floral-patterned cloth, believing that the painter of light and color deserved a more fitting tribute.
2024.08.06
