Painted in 1900, The Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet is one of the defining masterworks of Impressionism and a key piece within the artist’s celebrated water garden series. Executed in oil on canvas and measuring 89.8 by 101 centimeters, the painting is housed today in the Art Institute of Chicago. This work is part of a group of approximately 18 similar compositions created between 1899 and 1900, all centered around the Japanese-style bridge spanning the pond at Monet’s home in Giverny. These paintings reflect Monet’s profound preoccupation with the ephemeral qualities of light, water, and reflection.
