the lotus flower and water lily are cousins.
they grow under the same conditions. these flowers aren't just any flower growing in lush soil with gentle rain... they begin their journey in the deep dark, slimy, most filthy mud and water you could imagine. it's practically swamp water.
but it's where they take root. it's the only condition they can grow in. the entire flower grows and develops in the water. (no other flower does this - that much water and just the filthy mud alone would kill all other flowers.) but the lotus/water lily grows in spite of the mire it had to be rooted in.
in spite of it.
it grew.
and it grew in water.
even after the mud incident.
even when that's not possible.
and then . . they open . . and bloom above the waters' surface . . .
one would think that there would be evidence somewhere on the flower of the beginning of its journey. sludge, bruises or scratches..somewhere? but there's not. they bloom unscathed.. without blemish, marks, or any remnants of any kind of mud from which they came.
enter monet . .
we won't talk about how mind boggling beautiful it is that one man spent well over 20 years trying to capture the beauty he saw in water lilies (I have no idea if he knew of their journey I described above). to me . . it's more fascinating how he chose to paint them.
have you ever seen a lily pond in person? if I'm being honest.. most are unattractive if not horrible looking. the majority of what's in view is the murky greenish brown water. unless of course you happen to stumble across one that has tons of lilies growing in full bloom (in which they've cleaned the water themselves just by being there). typically... they are surrounded by the murky muddy water that practically swallows their beauty if a passerby were to not stop and really look long enough.. especially if not at the right angle/perspective.
monet painted the tainted lifeless water in its true color at times. but he did so in a way that put the spotlight on the brave flower that came from its oppositional surroundings. many of the canvases he did these paintings on we're huge (like wall in an office building - huge). so much of the putrid water occupied a lot of space on those generous canvases while the lily remained so small in comparison. but the way he manipulated color to reflect light on the petals . . was a validating strike of one tough journey to the surface.
he also painted the lilies in such a way that practically removed the low-life habitat they generated from . . and instead . . painted the environment they were headed towards reflected in the waters' surface - the bright blue emotional sky with clouds as receiving blankets.
he orchestrated an environmental audience to celebrate their truest design . . their purest form . . their most daring beauty .