Location📍 Art Institute of Chicago → Not currently on display

Water Lilies

Claude Monet found his primary inspiration in the water garden he created in Giverny, France, after purchasing the property in 1890. 'Water Lilies' (1906) represents a midpoint in Monet’s developing style and spatial experimentations. The nearly square format underscores his move away from painting conventional zones of land, sky, and water to focus solely on the water’s surface. Clusters of water lilies at the bottom left and top right frame a watery path, while the surface reflects trees and clouds. Although the dreamlike quality of floating forms might seem to be a natural development for the artist, he considered these works “an obsession,” a sentiment confirmed by technical examinations that revealed many significant changes made to the painting while it was in progress.