By 1914, the noisy battles that heralded the birth of the rebellious group of Impressionist artists were long gone, and the young rebels who had provoked them—those who had not yet left this world—had turned into gray-bearded patriarchs of French painting. Claude Monet, who had turned 73, settled in Giverny, where he created his personal paradise garden with artificial ponds and cultivated lilies. French newspapers informed readers that the celebrated master had retired. Yet, the newspapers were quick to write Monet off. Despite personal and global upheavals, despite poor health, doubts about his abilities, and his advanced age, the artist embarked on the realization of the most ambitious artistic project of his entire career—a grand cycle of landscapes featuring water lilies.
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