Monet's Water Lilies: Great Art Explained

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"What a brilliant series this is" - Stephen Fry on Twitter 12 December 2020

"Thoroughly researched and cleverly presented, with stunning visuals, Great Art Explained makes you realise that familiarity with a work of art sometimes makes us indifferent to its power" - Forbes Magazine, 9 July 2020

I started "Great Art Explained" during lockdown. My aim is to make videos which focus on one great artwork. I want to present art in a jargon free, entertaining, clear and concise way with no gimmicks.

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Claude Monet is often criticised for being overexposed, too easy, too obvious, or worse, a chocolate box artist. His last works, the enormous water lily canvasses are among the most popular art works in the world.


Yet there is nothing tame, traditionalist, or cosy about these last paintings. These are his most radical works of all. They turn the world upside down with their strange, disorientating and immersive vision.


Monet’s water lilies have come to be viewed as simply an aesthetic interpretation of the garden that obsessed him. But they are so much more.

These works were created as a direct response to the most savage and apocalyptic period of modern history. They were in fact conceived as a war memorial to the millions of lives tragically lost in the First World War.

CREDITS
All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Chinese subtitles by Charles Xue
Dutch Subtitles by Ana Glyph
German Subtitles by Victoria Drabik
Portuguese Subtitles by Gustavo Lyra

BOOKS
Monet by Christopher Heinrich
Claude Monet: Waterlillies and the Garden of Giverny by Dr. Julian Beecroft
Mad Enchantment: Ross King
Monet by Himself - Kendall publishing

Music by: Alexei Surovykh
"Theme" music: JS Bach “Sonata for violin solo No.1 in G Minor”

[PeoplesRepublicOfArt]

"My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature." - Claude Monet

Same....

[rogersurridge]

I've visited Monet's waterlilies at the Orangerie countless times but never realised how little I knew of the the back story. This video puts them into a much wider context — the Great War, Monet's depression and cataracts and his friendship with Georges Clémenceau, the lukewarm critical reception of these great late works and their influence on Pollock and Rothko. Fifteen minutes of brilliantly focused education.

[patrailriders]

I really love Monet. To me his paintings are like vaguely-remembered dreams; sort of blurry and lacking sharp lines to delineate where one thing ends and the next thing begins. We have four Monets at the CMOA in Pittsburgh, including a Water Lilies, and I never get tired of looking at them. Another great video, thank you!

[amosdorol]

What is lost in life, we find in art - Monet

[biddydibdab]

The first time I saw a Monet painting in a museum, the magnificence of it hit me like a bolt of lightening. Seeing it in books hadn’t prepared me for the otherworldly beauty of the live painting.

[joycecraig]

I had the unfortunate experience of getting locked in his garden in 2013 when I was painting a view of the willow tree. The guards forgot there was an artist painting after hours. And I particularly wanted the light of sunset. Thankfully I found one lone employee coming out of his house who let me out through the employee gate! Notwithstanding the fact that I might have had to sleep on my stool outside in October seeing that pond was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

[davebenson]

"People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love". ~ Claude Monet

[murshedshawk]

Just like Clemenceau believed in the transcendent quality of Monet’s art, I’d like to thank you for following in his footsteps and bringing art closer to us and helping us understand the historical context and significance of those artists and their art. You have a loyal follower.

[ChubbyAmadeusFan]

Cataracts, in an odd way, gave artists like Monet and Rembrandt a new method of painting, seeing life and objects through different older eyes. Their cataracts didn't hinder their art, but gave them a new path to art in their laters years. A silver lining to be sure. Thank you for this video and your explanation of Monet's Water Lilies.

[adamsasso]

Three things jump out at me after a first viewing:

1) It’s amazing that there is video of Monet painting. It never occurred to me that there might be.
2) There’s a lesson to be learned about not letting limitations stop you. His deteriorating eyesight became an important factor in the composition and character of these late paintings.
3) The “commerce” side of the art world often gets a bad rap, but it’s pretty clear that without Clemenceau’s urging these late works would not exist.

[susanhepburn]

I am fortunate in having had cataracts removed a few years ago. I can certainly attest to the radical change in colour perception, although it creeps up on you - I had knitted cotton bibs for my newborn grandson in a beautiful bright green. I then sewed on what I thought was a crocus yellow button. Turned out it was a ghastly pale pink! I cried when I was first able to see after the cataracts were removed. The grass was SO green, I was quite overcome. It must be a total nightmare for an artist. Thank you for this look at the magnificent last work of Monet. And thank goodness for Clemenceau!

[barbaraolson]

Love Monet, relaxes me to look at his art.

[johnsutton]

must be rare that an artist can have the opportunity to create a work specifically with a location in mind, frescoes notwithstanding. I remember seeing his haystacks at the orsay and thinking he must have been short sighted. if you get up close they make no sense, seemingly just a mish mash of brush strokes, but as you move back the whole thing comes into focus. Brilliant stuff, both him and your explanation

[mathildepozzi]

Monet has been so far the only artist whose art has led me to shed tears, I clearly remember the feelings of astonishment, anxiety and pure happiness as I entered one of the rooms dedicated to Monet's lilies in the MOMA, i must have spent fifteen minutes admiring this enormous painting that, just like said in this video, was put on display alone in this sort of curved room

[Pippi-rippi]

I’m at the Orangerie right now and this is fantastic to hear, while being here. Thank you!

[tjena]

Growing up in a backward corner on India’s East Coast, I had an instinctive liking for Monet’s Water Lillie’s the moment I saw a picture of it on the page of a Painting Book. Since that day in late 1960s I have visited Paris on several occasions and spent a good deal of time at the Museums including The Orangerie standing hours before the paintings. Each time I get captivated by new areas on the Canvas and get lost in some detail or other. Coming from an area full of water bodies filled with lillies blooming in nature it is so natural for me to connect with the theme. Your narration fits so nicely into the imagination I instinctively had in my childhood which has grown deeper and deeper through the years. Thanks so much for the video.

[jorgechartier]

I'm crying over the beauty and power of friendship.

[AUXdrone]

I’ll freely admit that i never understood Monet’s genius until i had the privilege to witness his works in person.

[cerealdude]

The paintings are the true masterpiece, but these fantastic descriptions are what’s bringing me to tears.

[silviam.]

My favourite lmpressionist painter: the grandeur of Monet's works is brilliantly explained in this pearl of visual artistry so appealing to the senses.