The Japanese Footbridge
Japanese Footbridge
Pastel, 8 x 11
The Japanese footbridge was one of the first structures created for the water garden. It was positioned directly in line with the main path to the front door, but one had to cross a street and a railroad track to reach it.
Completely separated from the original property, the row of arched trellises over the grand alle reinforced the strong visual line between the formal garden surrounding the house and the naturalized environment of the pond. Later, a trellis was erected over the bridge, and the umbrella of white wisteria that cover it today are the original vines planted by Monet.
A small dock was built for the little green boat, and rose trellises were constructed behind it. There were three paintings done of this view, but I have found only one, The Flowering Arches.
The structures were painted green to match the foliage in spite of the fact that in the late 1800’s, the color of choice was vermilion. Although they were working elements of the garden, they also provided strong focal points nestled among the mass of free growing vegetation. The Japanese footbridge was featured in many of Monet’s paintings.
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