Monet's Poplars
In 1891 Monet painted a line of poplar trees on the bank of the river Epte, a short way from his home at Giverny.
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About the series
The Poplars are a series of more than 20 paintings Claude Monet made in 1891. The trees stood in a line along the river Epte, near Giverny, and Monet painted them from a boat, often working on several canvases in one day.
The tall, thin trunks divide the canvas into strong vertical bands, and their curving line of leaves is set against the sky and reflected in the water. The trees belonged to the local commune and were sold for timber while Monet was still at work, so he paid the buyer to leave them standing until he had finished. The series was shown at the Durand-Ruel gallery in Paris in 1892. Versions hang in Tate in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and elsewhere.
Most Poplars canvases are upright, which gives height to a room with low furniture. A pair painted in different colour schemes hangs well on either side of a doorway.
