Waterloo Bridge, Gray Day

1903

Claude Monet

Artist, French, 1840 - 1926

We look across a river at a bridge that spans the center of this horizontal landscape, which is painted entirely with broad, visible brushstrokes in muted blue, pink, and brown. The straight deck of the bridge crosses the center of the composition but angles slightly away from us as it moves to our right. The four low arches of the bridge are ash brown on their face, and their curved undersides are cobalt blue. Marigold-orange and teal-blue marks on the deck above suggest traffic, and shell-pink smoke or steam billows over our side of the bridge. Three long, narrow forms in the water between and in front of the bridge pilings suggest boats. The sky above is painted loosely with icy blue and pale peach around the slate-blue silhouettes of buildings and smokestacks lining the far bank. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower left corner: “Claude Monet 1903.”

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 80

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Chester Dale Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 65.1 x 100 cm (25 5/8 x 39 3/8 in.)
    framed: 84.4 x 120 cm (33 1/4 x 47 1/4 in.)

  • Accession

    1963.10.183

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

In the private collection of Paul Durand-Ruel, Paris; sold 1904 to Franklin F. Nicola, Pittsburgh; purchased 7 January 1933 by Chester Dale [1882-1962], New York; bequest 1963 to NGA.[1]
[1]Dale acquisition source and date according to copies of the Chester Dale papers in NGA curatorial records.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1908

  • Exhibition of Paintings by the French Impressionists, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1908, no. 49

1910

  • Loan Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1910, no. 68

1965

  • The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.

Bibliography

1942

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 53, repro.

1944

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1944: 53, repro.

1953

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1953: 62, repro.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 93.

  • Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Paintings & Sculpture of the French School in the Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 97, repro.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 81, repro.

1974

  • Wildenstein, Daniel. Claude Monet: biographie et catalouge raisonné. 5 vols. Lausanne and Paris, 1974-1991: no. 1569.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 242, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 491, no. 727, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 279, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left: Claude Monet 1903

Wikidata ID

Q20190882

You may be interested in

Loading Results