Irises
- Artist: Claude Monet
- Date: about 1914-17
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Irises" by Claude Monet. It's one of approximately 20 views or irises surrounding the banks of the lily pond that Monet painted around 1914–17. The painting gives us a sense as though we're standing on the Japanese bridge and looking down at the winding path bordered by flowers.
Notice how the garden path is laid in first, and the flower border was worked over its edges. You can see the white ground left uncovered in places, particularly in the lower right corner and along the lower edge. The brushwork is loose and open, with thick purples, blues, and greens applied using bold, even crude strokes.
The effects may have been partly due to Monet's double cataracts, which were altering his vision at this date. It's not clear whether he regarded the picture as finished since it remained in his studio at his death.
See it in person
Irises hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
