The Japanese Bridge

Monet created this near-abstract work in the garden of his house in Giverny. The bridge, which spans the pond he created, appears in several of his works from the 1890s onwards, notably 'The Water-Lily Pond'.

In this late painting, however, the brushwork is remarkably liberal, as animated as Monet's use of colour. Bold greens, applied with vigour, create a pattern across the surface of the canvas, while touches of white suggest the dazzling effects of light on water.