The artwork “Chrysanthemums” by Claude Monet, created in 1878, is an oil painting belonging to the Impressionism movement. It showcases the genre of flower painting and measures 54.3 cm by 65.2 cm. This piece is housed at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.
Describing the artwork, we see an assemblage of chrysanthemums, rendered with the characteristic loose, expressive brushstrokes of Monet’s Impressionist style. The flowers dominate the canvas, bursting forth in a plethora of whites tinged with yellow and hints of pink at the petals’ edges, suggesting the soft play of light and shadow. Amidst the white blooms, there are sprinkles of deep reds and blues from other flowers that add a vibrant contrast to the composition.
The chrysanthemums are contained within a richly decorated red vase with intricate designs, which provides a strong visual anchor at the bottom of the painting. The vase rests on what appears to be a dark surface, with a lightly textured background that allows the flowers to stand out prominently. The painting’s overall luminosity, coupled with Monet’s energetic and seemingly spontaneous brushwork, gives the viewer a sense of the fleeting moment of beauty in the natural world, which is central to the Impressionist movement’s aims.