Water Lilies 1907

Monet made this Water Lilies painting with oil on canvas, no date given. Look at the way he approaches mark-making, it's like he's building up layers of color to capture the essence of light and water. You can almost feel the breeze and smell the pond. The materiality of this painting is pretty special. The surface is so alive, with thick strokes of blues and greens swirling together. The lilies themselves are these little daubs of white and yellow, floating serenely. Notice how Monet captures the reflection of the sky in the water. It's not a perfect mirror image, but a kind of hazy, dreamy version. There’s something about the way he blurs the line between the water and the sky that reminds me of Turner, although Monet's got his own thing going on. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation, with each artist building on what came before, while adding their own unique voice to the mix.