Suddenly I had the revelation of how magical my pond is. I took up my palette. Since that time I have scarcely had any other model."
Claude Monet
"There was a stream, the Epte, which came down from Gisors on the boundary of my property. I opened up a ditch so that I could fill the little pond that I had dug in my garden. I love water but I also love flowers. That's why, when the pond was filled, I wished to decorate it with plants. I took a catalogue and made a choice any old how. That's all.
Tout d'un coup j'ai eu la révélation des fééries de mon étang. J'ai pris ma palette. Depuis ce temps je n'ai guère eu d'autre modèle."