Book design: Monet: The Water-Lily Pond (One Painting, One Story)

In 1893 Claude Monet bought a plot of land next to his house in Giverny, where he created a water garden ‘both for the pleasure of the eye and for the purpose of having subjects to paint’. He filled the pond with water lilies and built a bridge at one end, inspired by examples he had seen in Japanese prints. This water garden became the focus of Monet’s later career and the subject of some 250 paintings.

Alongside an overview of the artist’s life, Ross King considers the wider historical backdrop, Monet’s fascination with painting bridges and the personal tragedy that led to his desire to document a series of ever-changing moments in his garden.

Author
Ross King is the author of numerous books on French and Italian art and history, including Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of The Water Lilies.