Backwater. Evening

A bearded man stands close behind a young woman crowned with a wreath of flowers, both bare-shouldered and rising from the surface of a pond; her hands are lifted near her face in a quiet, contemplative gesture. Around them the water lilies are arranged in tiered, almost architectural layers of pads and blossoms descending toward the bottom of the canvas, where small fish drift among the stems.

The whole scene is bathed in deep violet and indigo, with the pink-white lily petals and touches of gold picking up the last light of evening. Thick, encrusted brushwork gives the lilies a jewel-like texture against the softly blurred dark water, producing a hushed, dreamlike mood.