When you look at Monet's paintings of his lily pond at Giverny (such as those held at the Musee Marmottan or the Musee de l'Orangerie), you begin to realise how much variation there is in them. Some have a little strip of the ground at the end of the pond, others have none; in some the water looks really deep, and in others Monet's focused on the surface of the water. You begin to realise how there's the potential for a lifetime's paintings in just one subject.
But don't assume that Monet painted outdoors, from life, the whole time. He did a lot of his painting in his studio: "Whether my cathedral views, my views of London and other canvases are painted from life or not is nobody's business and of no importance whatsoever."
(Quote source: p28, Monet's Years at Giverny, Metropolitan Museum of Art)
But don't assume that Monet painted outdoors, from life, the whole time. He did a lot of his painting in his studio: "Whether my cathedral views, my views of London and other canvases are painted from life or not is nobody's business and of no importance whatsoever."
(Quote source: p28, Monet's Years at Giverny, Metropolitan Museum of Art)