Irises

Irises is one of a series of paintings Monet undertook during World War I experimenting with familiar motifs on an ever-expanding scale. Lacking a discernible horizon or clear sense of depth, the viewer is both on top of and submerged its encrusted and disorienting surface. This work remained in Monet's studio long after his death in 1926 and was only rediscovered in the 1950s, having suffered damage by shrapnel from shells during World War II.