Artwork
Le Bassin aux nymphéas, le soir
Le Bassin aux nymphéas, le soir is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet. It dates from 1918 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Claude Monet’s oil painting Le Bassin aux nymphéas, le soir, completed in 1918, depicts a tranquil garden pond at dusk. The work is part of the permanent collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich. A narrow pathway recedes into the distance, while the water surface is dotted with lily pads beneath a sky suffused with pink‑orange light.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a pond surrounded by foliage, suggesting the artist’s garden at Giverny. The evening atmosphere, rendered through softened hues, conveys a quiet transition between day and night, inviting contemplation of nature’s fleeting moments and the subtle interplay of water, light, and vegetation.
Technique & Style
Monet employs loose, expressive brushwork that captures the surface tension of water and the shimmering sky. A restrained palette of blues, greens, and muted pinks emphasizes atmospheric effects over detail, aligning the piece with the later phase of Impressionism where sensation and mood dominate formal representation.
History & Provenance
Created toward the end of Monet’s life, the painting reflects his mature focus on water lilies and twilight scenes. After its completion it entered private hands before being acquired by the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s Impressionist holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Oscar-Claude Monet was born in Paris on November 14, 1840, and raised from the age of five in Le Havre, where he began selling charcoal caricatures as a teenager.
