Claude Monet | Water Lilies | Art institute of Chicago

Claude Monet – Water Lilies (1916)

This late-period Water Lilies immerses viewers in Monet’s Giverny pond, where the water’s surface becomes an abstract mirror of sky and foliage. Brushstrokes dissolve into near-abstraction—a radical shift from his earlier precision. Intriguing detail: Monet painted these panels after cataract surgery, which altered his color perception; the violets and blues may reflect his compromised vision. The lack of horizon or edges creates an infinite, meditative space, anticipating 20th-century abstraction.

Monet’s Life During This Period
World War I raged nearby as Monet worked on these panels, which he called his “grand décor.” Nearly blind and grieving his wife and son, he painted obsessively, seeing the series as a legacy. Critics initially dismissed them as the work of a failing artist, but today they’re celebrated as precursors to Abstract Expressionism. The pond became his refuge, with the lilies standing in for resilience amid chaos.

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Care instructions
- Non-chlorine: bleach as needed
- Do not iron
- Do not dryclean
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F)
- Tumble dry: low heat