Title: Waterloo Bridge
Artist: Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926)
Medium: pastel on paper
Dimensions: 31.2 x 48.3 cm
Date Created: 1901
Description
Waterloo Bridge belongs to Monet’s seminal series of twenty-six pastels created during his 1901 London sojourn. Painted from his room at the Savoy Hotel, the composition revisits a view first encountered during his 1871 exile. By this time, Monet’s focus had shifted from topography to atmospheric essence.
The bridge’s arches emerge from the haze, with boats gliding on the Thames and distant chimneys faintly outlined. Mist is the true protagonist—layers of grey and dust recreate the damp, dense air. Energetic marks across the bridge suggest commuters moving through the fog.
Monet’s letters reveal his fascination and frustration with London’s weather. In February he exclaimed, “no country more extraordinary for a painter!” By March he lamented that effects never reappeared, forcing him to finish canvases later in Giverny. Yet this work stands apart: a spontaneous sketch capturing the elusive “real impression” he sought—a breath of Thames-side atmosphere preserved in pastel.
Image Download
Image Dimensions: 3200 x 2108 pixels
Image Size: 399 KB
Image Format: JPG
Print Resolution: 300 dpi
Download Format: ZIP Archive
License: Public Domain, Free for Commercial Use
