Weeping willow (1918/1919)
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| Weeping willow |
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| Claude Monet , 1918/1919 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 89 × 116 cm |
| Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas |
Weeping Willow is a painting by Claude Monet . It is an example from a series of paintings depicting weeping willows and was created between 1918 and 1919.
Image content
The painting shows a slender willow tree at the edge of the water lily pond, which was the subject of several paintings by Claude Monet. It shows no sky, no perspective or flowing water. Only the tree is shown in a colored area, which is only enlivened by the light reflections of the sun. The trunk of the tree is to the left of the center of the picture. The crown is cut off from the edge of the picture. The hanging branches dominate the entire picture space like a curtain. Green, blue and brown tones are the defining colors. The image section, which shows a closed corner of the garden, is downright oppressive to the viewer. Mareike Hennig notes about the painting that, unlike many of Monet's garden pictures, the place here is not a colored promise of happiness, but rather conveys the feeling of an all-encompassing, enveloping sadness.
background
The series of paintings with weeping willows belong to the late work of Claude Monet and was created under the impression of the consequences of the First World War. With the series, the painter wanted to express his grief over the numerous people who fell during the battles of this war. With the series Claude Monet moves away from pure impressionism , but instead chooses the closed corner and the single weeping willow symbolically as an expression of sorrow for the world.
On November 12, 1918, one day after the armistice agreement was signed, Claude Monet offered the painting to his friend, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, as a gift to the French nation.
supporting documents
literature
- Sabine Schulze (Ed.): Gardens: Order - Inspiration - Happiness . Städel Museum , Frankfurt am Main & Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7757-1870-7