Monet's Obsession: The Many Versions Of Waterloo Bridge

Claude Monet's series of Waterloo Bridge paintings is a collection of over 40 canvases created between 1899 and 1904. The series, produced during visits to the Savoy Hotel, captures the artist's fascination with the effects of light and colour in London's smoggy atmosphere. Monet's works showcase the bridge's nine undulating arches and formidable columns, casting a plethora of shadows and reflections on the Thames. The Waterloo Bridge series is a subset of his larger 'London Series', which includes other iconic motifs such as the Houses of Parliament and Charing Cross Bridge.

Monet's inspiration for the Waterloo Bridge series

Monet's Waterloo Bridge series consists of over 40 paintings created between 1899 and 1904. The series is a study of colour and light, with Monet exploring the relationship between these elements and the weather. The artist was fascinated by the effects of light filtering through London's smoggy atmosphere, and he captured this in his works, perceiving colour even in subjects dulled by fog and coal dust. Drifting mists were painted with delicate shades of lilac and pink, and the sky with pale olive.

Monet's interest in the interplay of colour, light, and weather was not new. He had previously painted series on water lilies, Rouen Cathedral, haystacks, the Houses of Parliament, and Charing Cross Bridge, the latter being created around the same time and from the same room as the Waterloo Bridge series.

The Waterloo Bridge series was painted from a room in the Savoy Hotel, which offered an extensive viewpoint of the Thames. Monet concentrated on depicting Charing Cross and Waterloo Bridges, which he could see from his hotel room, and the Houses of Parliament, which he painted from St. Thomas' Hospital. Monet's works differ from those of his contemporaries, who often used a subdued palette to reproduce the grayness of the city. Instead, Monet's paintings capture the beauty of the city, with vibrant dashes of colour shining through the smoke and fog.

Monet's series focuses on the 1807-1810 Waterloo Bridge, which celebrated the second anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The bridge was opened by the Prince Regent on June 18, 1817, and John Constable, who was living in London at the time, spent the next fifteen years working on versions of the scene. Monet's series, therefore, captures a bridge that was coming to an end, with the artist painting it just before its partial collapse in 1924.

How Monet's Waterloo Bridge series evolved

Monet's Waterloo Bridge series came about as a result of the artist's fascination with London, which began when he first travelled to the city in 1870 during his exile in the Franco-Prussian War. He was particularly captivated by London's fogs, a by-product of the Industrial Revolution, and the effects of light filtering through the smoggy atmosphere.

Between 1899 and 1901 (some sources say up to 1904 or 1905), Monet made three trips to London, staying at the Savoy Hotel, which offered an extensive viewpoint from which to paint the city. During this time, he produced over 40 versions of Waterloo Bridge, with some sources stating the number to be 41. These paintings were created both individually and as an ensemble, with Monet aiming to capture the atmosphere and colours of the fog-bound landscape of London's Thames River.

The Waterloo Bridge series forms a sub-series within Monet's larger 'London series', which also includes the Charing Cross Bridge series and the Houses of Parliament series. While Monet began all of the paintings in London, he completed many of them in his studio in Giverny, France.

Monet's fascination with bridges can also be seen in his Japanese Bridge series, which he painted in the 1890s. These works depict a Japanese-style footbridge that the artist installed over a pond in his garden in Giverny. Monet painted at least 12 versions of this subject, experimenting with different compositions and viewpoints.

Monet's painting process for the Waterloo Bridge series

Monet's Waterloo Bridge series is a beautiful display of colour and atmosphere, as one would expect from the Impressionist master. The series includes over 40 paintings created from 1899 to 1904 (or 1905, according to one source). Monet intended for the series to be judged as a whole, as he wrote in a letter to his dealer Durand-Ruel in 1903:

> "I cannot send you a single canvas of London... It is indispensable to have them all before me and to tell the truth; not one is definitely finished. I develop them all together."

In 1899, Monet returned to London and rented a room in the Savoy Hotel, which offered an extensive viewpoint from which to begin his series of the city. He painted the Waterloo Bridge series from this room, capturing the bridge in over 40 different canvases. He also continued working on the series back in his Giverny studio.

The Waterloo Bridge series is essentially a study of colour and light, with the consistent subject of the bridge allowing for clearer observations of the relationships between colour, light, and weather. This wasn't Monet's first time exploring these themes in his work. He had previously painted series on water lilies, Rouen Cathedral, haystacks, the Houses of Parliament, and the Charing Cross Bridge, among others. In fact, he painted the Charing Cross Bridge series around the same time and from the same room as the Waterloo Bridge series.

One of the earliest depictions of Waterloo Bridge by Monet is a simple sketch done in 1899, with wild, exploratory marks that are not refined or pretty but beautiful in their own right, especially when one knows all the paintings that stem from this sketch. Another painting from the series, "Sun Through Fog" (1903), demonstrates Monet's use of high key, with all the colours compressed towards the light end of the value scale, creating a pleasant contrast between ambient cool colours and intense warm colours.

Overall, Monet's Waterloo Bridge series is a powerful example of the artist's unique ability to capture the beauty of a familiar subject through his close observation of the world.

The number of Waterloo Bridge paintings by Monet

Claude Monet's Waterloo Bridge series includes over 40 paintings, with some sources stating the exact number to be 41. The series was produced between 1899 and 1904, with Monet periodically travelling to London to work on the paintings during this period. He created the paintings from his room in the Savoy Hotel, which offered an extensive viewpoint of the bridge. Monet was fascinated by the effects of light dissipated through London's smoggy atmosphere, and the series is essentially a study of colour and light.

Monet worked on multiple canvases simultaneously, moving back and forth between the works as the city’s ever-changing weather bathed his subjects in different light. He saw these paintings both individually and as an ensemble that collectively expressed his sense of the essential subject—the atmosphere and colours of the fog-bound landscape of London’s Thames River. Monet intended for the series to be judged as a whole. In 1903, he wrote to his dealer Durand-Ruel:

> “I cannot send you a single canvas of London… It is indispensable to have them all before me and to tell the truth; not one is definitely finished. I develop them all together.”

Monet's Waterloo Bridge series forms a sub-series within his larger 'London series', which also includes the Charing Cross Bridge series and the Houses of Parliament series. The London Series marks the artist’s coming of age in the early 1900s and the move towards what we now call the great avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Monet's ability to capture ephemeral effects by transforming the city’s notoriously fog-filled skies into near abstractions of colour and light is considered one of his greatest achievements.

Monet's use of colour and light in the Waterloo Bridge series

Claude Monet's Waterloo Bridge series comprises over 40 paintings created between 1899 and 1904. The series is a study of colour and light, with Monet exploring the relationship between these elements and the weather. Monet's fascination with London's foggy atmosphere is evident in the series, with the artist layering violets, pinks, soft oranges, and prismatic blues over the waters of the Thames, the stone bridge, and the factory-lined bank. This created a magical symphony of colour and light, as described by Jussi Pylkkänen, Christie's Global President.

The consistent subject matter of the Waterloo Bridge series allowed Monet to experiment with colour and light in a way that he had not done before. He painted the series from his room in the Savoy Hotel, which offered an extensive viewpoint of the bridge and the Thames. This perspective provided Monet with the opportunity to capture the beauty of the city, even amidst the smoke and fog. Monet's love for London shone through in the vibrantly applied dashes of colour that brought the city to life.

In addition to colour and light, Monet also paid attention to the atmospheric effects created by the weather. The series includes paintings that range from grey, foggy days to clearer skies, with more contrast and drama. Monet's observations of the relationship between colour, light, and weather resulted in a unified body of work that the artist intended to be judged as a whole. He wrote to his dealer Durand-Ruel in 1903: "I cannot send you a single canvas of London... It is indispensable to have them all before me and to tell the truth; not one is definitely finished. I develop them all together."

Monet's Waterloo Bridge series is a testament to his skill in capturing the transient beauty of light and colour in a bustling urban environment. Through his use of colour and light, Monet transformed London's fog-filled skies into expressive abstractions, solidifying his reputation as a master of the Impressionist style.

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