Claude Monet and the Water Lilies

Peace and obsession: it is this dichotomy, only apparent, that distinguishes the last phase of Claude Monet’s artistic life. Having retired to his home in Giverny at the end of the 19th century, the genius of Impressionism dedicated his last years to the search for a inner serenity that his many personal vicissitudes seem to deny him. The documentary Water Lilies by Monet – An enchantment of water and light, broadcast on Sky Arte on Thursday 11 April, highlights the decisive contribution in this artistic journey of the aquatic plants of which the artist he had fallen in love in 1889 and had brought it to the large pond of his villa. It is precisely the ambitious project of the Grand Décoration that is the focal point of the documentary: first traveling to discover the places that marked his artistic growth, the film delves into the complex genesis of the over three hundred large canvases that Monet dedicated to the plants of his pond. In an era of growing tension, marked by the outbreak of the First World War, the French artist takes refuge in painting: his Water Lilies emerge as symbols of rebirth and serenity, capturing the changing essence of light and water. Death by Monet, which took place shortly before the inauguration of the Musée de L’Orangerie, destined to house the largest canvases of his project, underlines the tragic irony of fate: the genius who did not see recognition for his work in life, but who posthumously he becomes an icon of modern art.