Monet：Water Lilies: The Complete Series

Monet,thefatherofFrenchimpressionistpainting,devotedtwenty-fiveyearstoaseriesofpaintingsofthewaterliliesthatfloatedinthepondofhislavishgardeninGiverny.Thisvolumeisdedicatedtothosepaintings,andopenswithabiographyofMonetthatlinkstheartist'schildhoodpassionfornatureandfordrawingtohislaterfascinationwithlight.Monet'sexperimentswithhowtobestcapturelightanditseffectontheskyandonwateratdifferenttimesofthedayincludepaintingssuchasImpression,Sunrise(1872),whichinspiredthenameoftheimpressionistmovement.AcriticaltextanalyzesMonet'singenuity,audacity,andmodernity,aswellashisinfluenceonotherartists,fromZaoWou-kitomusictoShirleyGoldfarb.Thisdefinitivecatalogiscompletedby210colorreproductionsofthewaterlilypaintingswithannotatedcaptions,periodshotsofGivernybyphotographerssuchasCartier-Bresson,andraredocumentsincludingMonet'spersonalletterstohisoptometristregardinghisfailingeyesight,whichhasbeenlinkedtohisdevelopmentoftheimpressioniststyle.Thelarge-formatvolumefeaturesaneight-pagegatefoldofthemuralsattheOrangerieinParis,anditservesasbothanaccessibleintroductoryworkandacompletereferenceguidetoanimportantcomponentinthehistoryofart.