Monet’s Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony

We went to the Detroit Institute of Arts today to see Monet’s Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony. Here’s a shot I took.

The Waterlily paintings (of which Monet did hundreds) stand out as some of his more popular works. This particular painting is on display until January 4th, 2015, so there isn’t much time to see it if you happen to be near Detroit. Impressionism was revolutionary when it first appeared in the mid-19th century. Instead of studying the established rigid domains of mythology and history, the impressionists were more interested in real life images and the interpretation of light.

In his later years, Monet suffered from cataracts that affected his perception of color. After surgery it’s understood that Monet could see particular ultraviolet wavelengths that normal eyes cannot see. This also influenced how he perceived color.

Claude Monet died of lung cancer in 1926. He was 86 years old.