The Japanese Bridge 3 1924

Claude Monet conjured this bridge, using oils, in a manner that feels like a dance between control and chance. You can almost feel the brushstrokes quivering as he worked, building up these cool blues and whites, like fleeting reflections on water. There’s an immediacy to it, a sense of capturing a moment that’s already fading. The paint is applied in such a way that the forms seem to dissolve into light and atmosphere, leaving you questioning what you are seeing. Is it really a bridge, water lilies, or is it something else? I wonder, when Monet stood before this canvas, did he feel a sense of freedom in letting go of detail? Did he allow the paint to lead the way, trusting his instincts to guide him through? I imagine this was the case. We're all connected through these acts of creation, artists, and viewers alike, building upon one another's vision. These paintings allow for an openness, to feel the potential of art as a site of exchange rather than a fixed message.