Poplars on the Epte

A row of poplars along the river

In 1891, Claude Monet painted a row of tall poplar trees along the river Epte, near his home at Giverny. He painted them more than twenty times, at different hours and in different weather, from a boat on the river.

When he learned the trees were to be cut down and sold for timber, he paid the buyer to leave them standing until he had finished. This version belongs to the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.

Tall, thin trunks

The trunks rise in long, thin vertical strokes of pink, violet and green, cut off at the top by the edge of the canvas. Their leaves shimmer in short touches of colour.

Reflections that echo the trees

Below, the water repeats the trunks in broken, wavering lines. Monet treated reflections and trees as equal subjects, so the canvas becomes a pattern of verticals and soft colour.

The sky at the left is full of pale clouds, painted in creamy yellows and blues.

Signed in red

Monet signed the painting in red at the lower right, on the water. In 1892 he exhibited a group of the poplar paintings together at the Durand-Ruel gallery in Paris, showing them as a series.

A studio boat on the Epte

Monet painted the poplars from a small boat he used as a floating studio. He moored it on the river so he could look along the line of trees, with the water and its reflections directly in front of him. The boat was fitted with grooves to hold several canvases at once, so he could switch quickly as the light changed.

The trees stood on marshy land along the Epte, a short distance from his house at Giverny. The river forms a natural boundary in the countryside there, and the poplars followed its winding course.

Saving the trees

The row of poplars belonged to the local commune, which decided to sell them at auction for timber. Monet asked for a delay, but the sale went ahead. He then reached an agreement with the timber merchant who had bought the trees, paying him to leave them standing until the paintings were finished.

The story shows how serious Monet was about his series. He needed the same motif to remain unchanged for months, so he could study it in every condition of light and season.

Painting in series

The poplars came after the haystacks of 1890 and 1891 and before the Rouen Cathedral series. In each case Monet chose a simple motif and painted it again and again. Seen together, the pictures show how colour, mood and form change with the time of day and the weather.

The poplars added a new element: strong vertical lines. Their tall trunks cut across the canvas like a fence, while their reflections echo them below. The compositions become almost abstract patterns of verticals and horizontals, with the S-curve of the riverbank giving movement.

An almost square canvas

This painting is almost square, about 82 by 81 centimetres. The format suits the subject: the trees rise up and out of the top of the picture, and the reflections plunge down below, giving equal weight to both. The square also makes the picture feel calm and balanced, like a decorative panel.

The colours are soft: pinks, violets, greens and pale yellows. Rather than strong contrasts, Monet uses delicate harmonies to suggest a gentle, hazy light.

Where to see it

This version belongs to the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh. Other paintings from the series are held by museums including the Tate in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. For more river and countryside views, explore our famous landscape paintings.

Questions about Poplars on the Epte

Where was it painted?

On the river Epte near Giverny, in 1891.

How many poplar paintings did Monet make?

More than twenty, at different times of day and in different weather.

Where is this version?

Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh.

Did Monet save the trees?

He paid the timber buyer to delay cutting them until he had finished painting.

How did Monet paint from the river?

From a small boat he used as a floating studio, moored on the Epte.

Which series came before and after the poplars?

The haystacks came before, and the Rouen Cathedral series followed.

Sources and image credit

• National Galleries of Scotland: Poplars on the Epte
• Wikimedia Commons: Poplars on the Epte

Faithful public-domain reproduction of Poplars on the Epte (1891), via Wikimedia Commons (Google Art Project). Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.