Claude Monet, Detail of The Water Lilies: Morning With Wllows, Musée de l'Orangerie
Walking around the lake this morning I got to thinking about how many times I must have visited there in the last year. It must be 50 or 60 at least.
I got to wondering; am I lazy, stuck in a rut or just a creature of habit. I didn’t think it was any of these, and maybe to justify myself my mind turned to Claude Monet.
In particular, I thought about his Rouen Cathedral series and his paintings of his Lily Garden.
The paintings in the cathedral series were done over a period of 4 or 5 years and each one is of the façade of the Rouen Cathedral, but they depict the building at different times of the day and across the changing seasons. Monet was fascinated by the changes in its appearance under different lighting conditions.
The ‘Water lilies’ is an even bigger collection of approximately 250 oil paintings. They depict the flower garden at his home in Giverny and were the main focus of his art during the last thirty years of his life.
If a great artist like him can see the benefit of returning to the same place time and time again perhaps my regular trips make more sense.
Like Monet, I have enjoyed watching the changing seasons…
the effect that has on the plant and bird life…
the changing light of morning,
afternoon
and dusk
i particularly love the dramatic and transformative impact a bright blue sky can have.
Another parallel with Monet also struck me; his depiction of reflections and how these vary from more precise mirror-like images to the more distorted almost unrecognizable pictures.
I realized how often I had shot images that centered on reflections, from when the water was smooth and glass-like to when it rippled and created a more twisted effect.
I would never compare myself to Monet but I’m glad to draw, not only, inspiration from him but justification for a few more visits to the lakes
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