Claude Monet: The Last Years

Claude Monet - The Japanese Bridge - c. 1918-24 - Oil on canvas - 89 x 116 cm (35 x 45 3/4 in.) - The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (click photo for larger image)“Monet's paintings of his water-garden and water-lilies at Giverny occupied him for many years in the latter part of his life and were his last great works.” For many years they were not fully understood—nor were they recognized for their modernist tendencies. Indeed, Monet’s work as a whole wasn’t truly recognized for its genius until the 1950s.

By the end of 1890, Monet (1840-1926) began making improvements to the garden, which included the formation of a pond. He had a bridge `in Japanese taste' built over it, which is featured in a number of his late works. He truly loved the garden at Giverny—and he shaped it like a work of art. It was an ongoing, never-ending project. He would meditate on it for thirty years.