Weeping Willow

Long willow branches hang downward in soft yellows and greens, their shadows picked out in dark blue-purple tones that repeat in the water beneath them. The branches and their watery reflection blur together, so the painted surface reads almost as one continuous pattern of color. The painting, titled Weeping Willow, was created by Claude Monet in 1918 using oil paint, and it is held at the Columbus Museum of Art. The work entered the museum's collection as a gift from supporters of the institution. Monet, who lived from 1840 to 1926, was a French painter associated with Impressionism, and his notable works include Impression, Sunrise. One detail worth noticing is how the dark purple shadows cut through the lighter greens and yellows, giving the drooping branches a rhythmic, almost woven quality as they meet their own reflection in the water below.