PROGRAM 1
Monet: Bridge over a Pool of Water Lilies
Claude Monet was a French Impressionist painter who showed light in his
landscape paintings. In Bridge over a Pool of Water Lilies, sunlight
sparkles on a Japanese footbridge curving over a pond of lilies and iris.
Discussion
Students analyze Monet’s
painting of water lilies and see
how small brushstrokes, and
impasto paint show the sunlight.
They identify Impressionist styles
that use color to create mood.
They see how actual texture
captures the impression of light
on plants and water. They talk
about how Monet arranges the
foreground, middle ground, and
background to show distance.
Claude Monet, Bridge over a Pool of Water Lilies
1899, oil on canvas, 36 1/2 in. x 29 in. (92.7 cm. x 73.7 cm.)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA
Image Copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource,
New York, NY, USA
Project: Impressionist Garden
Students sketch landscapes and
paint Impressionist landscapes
with actual and visual texture,
using tempera paint.
Art in Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching children’s lives through art.
Students learn creativity, problem solving, critical thinking skills and cultural awareness.
Nine sequential programs for grades K-8 teach art appreciation, art history and art techniques.
www.artinaction.org