european & american art

Waterloo Bridge, Claude Monet

Claude Monet frequented London around 1900 and created Waterloo Bridge during one of his last trips to the European city. During these trips he focused on three subjects in particular: the Houses of Parliament, the Charing Cross Bridge, and the Waterloo Bridge. He often painted the same subjects multiple times during different intervals of the day, and would start several paintings at the same time. He would finish these paintings once he returned to Giverny.

It has been suggested that the true focus of Waterloo Bridge was not the famed bridge itself but the light and color during a specific time of day. This is what caught Monet's attention, who said "Other artists paint a bridge, a house, a boat...I want to paint the beauty of the air in which these objects are located."

European & American Art