Water Lillies

I really admire this piece for its abstraction and curiosity that draws me to it. In other words, Although the piece is entitled "Water Lillies" which gives away the subject matter and what it really is, that is not necessarily recognizable at first. The colors seem to be shifted a bit and it appears that the water lilies are actually blue and the body of water is green. I show a lot of gratitude towards this piece for the concept of it being very whimsical and quick. It is abstract in the sense that the shapes are not easily recognizable and viewers have to kind of ponder upon the subject matter to get a sense of what is being portrayed. The whimsical and white lines create a movement that guide the eye around the piece. I also really think that the technique and concept flow together, and that it was intentional, which I also really admire. In other words, the technique is very naturalistic and free-flowing - while nature is also a natural element of the earth. I admire this piece mainly because the important aspect of the technique of impressionism is not the subject matter and how it appears or how much it portrays what Monet was ACTUALLY painting, but it is about portraying how the artist felt at that point in time when they were creating the work, so it conveys a lot of deep emotions that can help pull viewers in and connect them to the piece, which I think is a phenomenal concept and a great technique in art that should be appreciated or more appreciated. Another aspect of this piece is that although the colors are cool and calmer, the technique is almost the opposite (in some areas of the piece the line strokes are very scratchy), which goes back to the idea of impressionism and how Monet felt while creating this work.

Image derived from:Monet, Claude. Water Lilies. 1926. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. Web. 23 Sep 2013. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1983.532>.