Claude Monet, 'Flood Waters', 1896
About the work
Overview
Torrential rain in autumn 1896 caused extensive flooding near Monet’s home in Giverny. The river Epte, a tributary of the Seine, burst its banks and overflowed into the meadow next to Monet’s garden.
Obliged to remain close to home, Monet painted the view of the waterlogged landscape that he saw in front of him, including the row of pollarded willows that stood on the edge of the meadow. The tree branches are brushed in with fine, rapid strokes and fluid sweeps of soft colour in the sky and the water reveal his interest in atmospheric harmony. The picture appears to be unfinished, and may have been painted on the spot. The canvas has been left bare in areas at the top and bottom, adding to the impression that it is a quickly made sketch. It may be a study for another picture, perhaps painted in the studio, now in a private collection in Switzerland.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Flood Waters
- Artist
- Claude Monet
- Artist dates
- 1840 - 1926
- Date made
- 1896
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 71 × 91.5 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1958
- Inventory number
- NG6278
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 20th-century Replica Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Martin Davies, with additions and some revisions by Cecil Gould, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, etc.’, London 1970; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2013Normandie ImpressionnisteMusée des Beaux-Arts (Rouen)27 April 2013 - 29 September 2013
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2014Monet: The Water Garden at GivernyThe National Gallery (London)16 September 2014 - 31 December 2015
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2016Monet. Beyond ImpressionismOrdrupgaard24 August 2016 - 4 December 2016
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2022The Landscape RebelsChristchurch Mansion22 October 2022 - 16 April 2023
Bibliography
-
1958The National Gallery, The National Gallery: July 1956 - June 1958, London 1958
-
1970Davies, Martin, and Cecil Gould, National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists etc., London 1970
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1974D. Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, 4 vols, Lausanne 1974
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1986J. House, Monet: Nature into Art, New Haven 1986
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1990R. Rapetti, Monet, New York 1990
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1996D. Wildenstein, Claude Monet. Catalogue raisonné, Cologne 1996
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.