Room 46

In Monet’s garden paintings, the surface of the pond can hold plants and reflected sky at the same time. Try following one patch of colour before deciding whether it belongs to a lily, water or reflection. The bridge provides a firmer shape in some views, while others give much more space to the pond itself. Claude Monet returned to this garden at Giverny over many years. Repeating a subject allowed him to study changes of light, colour and scale. The room also contains other parts of his work, including a grainstack and irises. Compare those subjects with the water paintings and watch how the brush marks hold a large area together.