About this artwork
The elegant poplar trees on the banks of the River Epte, seen against a patchy blue summer sky, fuse with their reflected image in a network of brightly coloured brushstrokes. This is a work from Monet's celebrated series of poplar paintings made between the spring and autumn of 1891, the year after he had settled in Giverny. He used a boat as a floating studio and captured beautifully the shimmering effects of sunlight on water. The trees were ready to be sold for timber, but Monet, in partnership with a timber merchant, bought the trees at auction so that he could continue painting them.
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Updated before 2020
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artist:Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) French
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title:Poplars on the Epte
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date created:1891
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:82.00 x 81.40 cm; Framed: 103.50 x 103.50 x 12.00 cm / 24.00 kg
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1925
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accession number:NG 1651
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Monet is the most famous of the Impressionist artists. His painting Impression, Sunrise, shown in Paris in 1874, prompted critics to label him and fellow exhibitors as 'Impressionists'. Monet had moved to Paris from Le Havre, Normandy, where, inspired by Boudin, he painted landscapes in the open...