"Water Lilies" by Claude Monet — History, Analysis & Where to See It

Water Lilies: Monet's Immersive Vision of Light and Nature

The Water Lilies (Nymphéas) series is the crowning achievement of Claude Monet's career and one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of Impressionism. Over the last three decades of his life, Monet created approximately 250 oil paintings depicting the water lily pond in his garden at Giverny, France — a body of work that would profoundly influence Abstract Expressionism and modern art.

The 1906 canvas at the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the finest examples from the series, capturing the surface of the pond as a shimmering tapestry of reflected sky, floating lilies, and liquid color. Water Lilies paintings can be found in major museums around the world, from the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris to MoMA in New York.

The Story Behind Water Lilies

In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny, a village about 75 kilometers northwest of Paris. In 1893, he purchased an adjacent plot of land and began constructing his famous water garden, diverting a branch of the River Epte to create a pond. He planted water lilies, installed a Japanese-style bridge, and surrounded the pond with weeping willows, irises, and wisteria. This garden became his primary subject for the rest of his life.

Monet began painting the water lilies in earnest around 1897, and by 1906 he was producing some of the series' most accomplished works. The 1906 canvas at the Art Institute of Chicago belongs to a group of paintings that eliminate the horizon line entirely, focusing exclusively on the surface of the water. This radical cropping — inspired partly by Japanese prints — anticipated abstract painting by decades.

In his later years, Monet conceived an even grander vision: enormous curved canvases that would surround the viewer in an immersive panorama of water lilies. He donated eight monumental panels to the French state, which were installed in two oval rooms at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris after his death in 1926. These rooms remain one of the most extraordinary art experiences in the world.

Monet continued painting water lilies until his death at age 86, even as cataracts severely impaired his vision. His late canvases became increasingly abstract, with loose brushwork and bold colors that would later inspire artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Once dismissed as the decorative work of an old man, the late Water Lilies are now recognized as visionary masterpieces.

Artistic Analysis: Technique & Style

Elimination of the Horizon

One of the most revolutionary aspects of the Water Lilies is Monet's decision to eliminate the horizon line. The canvas shows only the surface of the pond, creating a disorienting, all-over composition with no clear up or down. The sky exists only as a reflection in the water, and the lily pads float in an ambiguous space. This flattening of pictorial depth was decades ahead of its time and directly anticipated the all-over compositions of Abstract Expressionism.

Light & Color on Water

Monet's primary subject was not the lilies themselves but light reflected on water — the shimmering, constantly changing interplay of sky, clouds, vegetation, and water surface. He built up the image through layers of short, broken brushstrokes in blues, greens, pinks, and violets, allowing colors to blend optically rather than being mixed on the palette. The result is a surface that seems to vibrate with life, capturing the fleeting effects of natural light that were central to Impressionism.

Brushwork & Texture

Monet's brushwork in the Water Lilies ranges from delicate, thin touches for the lily pads to thick, impasto strokes for the reflected foliage and sky. The visible texture of the paint surface creates a tactile quality that adds to the painting's vibrancy. In his later canvases, the brushwork became increasingly loose and expressive, approaching the gestural freedom of abstract painting. Close up, the paintings dissolve into pure color and texture; from a distance, the scene coheres into a luminous vision of nature.

Serial Approach

Monet's decision to paint the same subject over 250 times across three decades was unprecedented. Like his earlier series of haystacks and Rouen Cathedral facades, the Water Lilies explore how a single motif changes under different conditions of light, season, and weather. But the sheer scale and duration of the Water Lilies project went far beyond anything he had attempted before, creating a cumulative meditation on perception, time, and the relationship between the artist and nature.

Where to See Water Lilies

Water Lilies paintings are displayed in major museums worldwide. The 1906 canvas is at the Art Institute of Chicago. The most immersive experience is at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, which houses Monet's monumental oval murals in two purpose-built rooms. Other important Water Lilies paintings can be found at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the National Gallery in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

If you visit Giverny (open April through October), you can see the actual water lily pond and Japanese bridge that inspired the series. The Art Institute of Chicago is open Thursday through Monday, 11 AM to 6 PM (until 8 PM on Thursdays). Use ArtScan at any of these museums to identify Monet's Water Lilies and other Impressionist masterpieces instantly.

Fun Facts About Water Lilies

• Monet painted approximately 250 Water Lilies canvases. The series spans roughly 30 years (1897–1926) and includes everything from modest easel paintings to monumental murals over 12 meters wide.
• He designed the garden specifically to paint it. Monet was as much a gardener as a painter. He employed six full-time gardeners at Giverny and personally directed the planting and maintenance of the water lily pond, choosing specific varieties and colors for their painterly qualities.
• Cataracts changed his color palette. Monet was diagnosed with cataracts in 1912, which gradually shifted his color perception. His late paintings became increasingly warm and reddish. After surgery in 1923, he was shocked by the blue-violet tones he could now see and repainted several canvases.
• The Orangerie murals were his gift to France. Monet donated eight monumental Water Lilies panels to the French state the day after the Armistice ending World War I (November 12, 1918), describing them as a “monument to peace.”
• They were once dismissed as decorative. After Monet's death in 1926, critical opinion turned against the late Water Lilies, dismissing them as mere decoration. It was not until the 1950s, when Abstract Expressionists recognized Monet as a kindred spirit, that the paintings were re-evaluated as visionary masterpieces.
• A Water Lilies painting sold for over $110 million. In 2019, a 1906 Nymphéas canvas sold at Sotheby's for $110.7 million, reflecting the series' extraordinary prestige.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I see Monet's Water Lilies?

Water Lilies paintings are in museums worldwide. Key locations include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris (monumental murals), MoMA in New York, the Met in New York, and the National Gallery in London.

How many Water Lilies paintings did Monet create?

Claude Monet painted approximately 250 Water Lilies canvases between 1897 and his death in 1926. They range from modest easel paintings to monumental murals over 12 meters wide.

Where is the real water lily pond?

Monet's water lily pond is at his home and garden in Giverny, about 75 km northwest of Paris. The garden is open to visitors from April through October and looks much as it did during Monet's lifetime.

Why did Monet paint water lilies so many times?

Monet was fascinated by how light transformed the appearance of the pond from moment to moment and season to season. By painting the same subject repeatedly, he could explore infinite variations of color, light, and atmosphere — a serial approach that was central to his Impressionist philosophy.

What art movement do the Water Lilies belong to?

The Water Lilies are masterworks of Impressionism, though the later canvases are so abstract that they anticipate Abstract Expressionism. Monet is considered the father of Impressionism, and the Water Lilies represent the ultimate expression of the movement's focus on light and perception.

How much are Monet's Water Lilies worth?

Individual Water Lilies paintings have sold for extraordinary sums at auction. A 1906 canvas sold for $110.7 million at Sotheby's in 2019. The monumental murals at the Orangerie and major museum holdings are considered priceless national treasures.