I’m getting so slow at my work, it makes me despair, but the further I get, the more I see that a lot of work must be done in order to render what I’m looking for …
Claude MONET, Master painter & founder of impressionism (emphasis mine)
Starting September 30th, Paris’ Orangerie Museum will begin a major exhibition of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies.
In a career spanning more than 60 years, which produced more than 1500 completed works and brought the artist fortune and worldwide fame, the series of floral waterscapes known as Water Lilies has come to be regarded as Monet’s masterpiece.
Take one look at any painting in the series, and you’ll immediately see the subject is flowers, flowers, and more flowers.
In fact, Monet reportedly once said, “I perhaps owe having become a painter to more flowers.”
However—with relatively few exceptions—flowers did not feature prominently in Monet’s paintings before 1883.
That was the year the artist and his family left bustling Paris, with its lively art scene, for the sleepy countryside town of Giverny in nearby Normandy.
And it was at Giverny that the then middle-aged painter discovered his passion for all things garden.
Surrounded by nature, with relative seclusion, and with a schedule he could adjust to support his work, Monet developed the ability to see what few painters could.
Even fellow artists applauded his abilities.
“But Monet is an eye, the most prodigious eye since there have been painters.”
— Paul Cézanne, translated from the French
« Mais Monet est un oeil, l’oeil le plus prodigieux depuis qu’il y a des peintres… »
And despite the challenges of advancing age and ill health that threatened his eyesight, Monet’s latter years of creativity turned out richer and more meaningful than those that came before.
So, HOW exactly did he manage to slow down AND become a better painter?
By adopting a more measured, mature pace, he came to see—each day more clearly— what the work before him truly required.
Intentional in all his doings, Monet:
- Focused on series rather than individual paintings, and returned to the same subject time after time.
- Reworked paintings.
- Destroyed paintings and started over again.
- Took short breaks and refrained from painting altogether.
He also:
- Tweaked his daily rhythms to ensure he could do his best work by going to bed early so as to get the morning light, and taking his lunch at 11:30 AM each day to get the afternoon light.
- Wore a wide-brimmed hat to save his eyesight and put off the cataract surgery he ultimately had to undergo for as long as possible.
And that’s how one of the world’s most beloved and iconic series of paintings was created.
TO REFLECT UPON AND JOURNAL
How could slowing down, noticing the details, and focusing on one thing long enough help you do more meaningful, impactful work?
