''Waterloo Bridge'' is a series of 41

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

oil paintings of the 1807–1810 Waterloo Bridge in London by

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

, produced between 1900 and 1904 and forming a sub-series within his larger 'London series' alongside the ''Charing Cross Bridge'' series and the ''Houses of Parliament'' series.

Context

Under exile during the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, Monet travelled to London for the first time in 1870. Monet became enthralled with the city, and vowed to return to it someday. His fascination with London lay primarily in its fogs, a by-product of the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

. But writers hypothesise that Monet was also inspired by contemporaries

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

and

James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

, who were similarly mesmerised by London's atmosphere and atmospheric effects. In 1899 Monet returned to London and rented a room in the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1 ...

, which offered an extensive viewpoint from which to begin his series of the city. Between 1899 and 1905, Monet periodically travelled to London to work on paintings. He repeatedly painted the Waterloo Bridge and created other paintings of the city's sights, including the ''Houses of Parliament'' series and ''Charing Cross Bridge'' series. While Monet began all of the paintings in London, he completed many of them in his studio in

Giverny Giverny () is a Communes of France, commune in the northern French Departments of France, department of Eure.List of paintings by Claude Monet This is a list of works by Claude Monet (1840–1926), including all the extant finished paintings but Water Lilies (Monet series), excluding the ''Water Lilies'', which can be found here, and preparatory black and white sketches.

References

{{Claude Monet 1903 paintings Paintings of London by Claude Monet Paintings in the Hermitage Museum Paintings in the National Gallery of Art Collection of the National Gallery of Canada Series of paintings by Claude Monet Paintings in the Ordrupgaard Bridges in art Rivers in art