↗France, late 19th century-early 20th century · c. 1915–26
Water Lilies (Agapanthus)
Claude Monet
Colour palette
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Approximate colour proportions
Estimated from six colour groups in the museum image, including visible paper or borders. Reproduction and lighting affect the result; these are image-area proportions, not pigment measurements.
Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. · The Cleveland Museum of Art
Image licence: CC0 · Museum record & image source ↗
Netherlands · 1889
Two Poplars in the Alpilles near Saint-Rémy
- Date
- 1889
- Medium
- oil on fabric
- Dimensions
- Framed: 81 x 66.7 x 7.3 cm (31 7/8 x 26 1/4 x 2 7/8 in.); Unframed: 61.6 x 45.7 cm (24 1/4 x 18 in.)
- Country / context
- Netherlands
- Movement / tradition
- European and American art
- Collection
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Attribution / role
- Museum attribution
- Pathway
- European and American art ↗
FROM THE MUSEUM
Vincent van Gogh painted this autumnal landscape while interned at a psychiatric hospital near Saint-Rémy in southern France. Although initially restricted to painting in his room, he soon resumed working outdoors. This painting reveals the full power of his mature style. Trees twist and lean against a darkening sky, while the intense colors applied with charged brushstrokes convey his emotional reaction to the subject.
Collection text · The Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0Place in the artist’s career
The 1883 watercolour and chalk landscape uses earthy tonal structure; the 1889 oil landscape activates the surface through colour and directional marks. In Dr. Gachet, etched and drypoint lines replace painted colour. This final print shows that late experimentation did not mean abandoning drawing or moving inevitably toward brighter paint.
The artist’s practice
Artist-wide context; individual works may differ.
Media and surface
Watercolour, oil and the rare etched plate produce distinct surfaces across the selected career.
Marks and structure
Directional, rhythmic marks make plants, sky and ground feel active; print lines condense this energy.
Palette and light
Earthy early tones contrast with intensified later colour, while the final etching remains powerfully monochrome.
A MOMENT TO LOOK
Start with what you can see: shapes, surface, colour and scale. How might the listed materials affect the way this object was made and experienced?
Looking prompt · an invitation to observe, not a historical interpretation.
