The painter's choice of a pictorial vantage point creates the apparent symmetry of the bridge and the woven flower garlands. The point of the painting is not that such symmetry literally exists in nature, but that in the impression of the painter, such symmetry was evident to his eyes, at a particular moment in time and in his life. This painting would be especially useful to teach young children how to create meaningful pictures out of common, every day images. The teacher could point out to the students that the painting is of Monet's garden, something that he saw everyday, and painted many times. Monet painted many paintings water lilies, but every picture was different, because the French artist brought a different perspective to the work of art, during different times of his life.

Asking students to name different...

For example, does a playground swing set look different in the summer and in the winter? Does the sight make them feel different on a sunny day or a snowy day? What about the same schoolhouse door at the beginning of the school year and the end of the school year?
Children could also look at photographs of bridges, even photos of the actual gardens Monet painted so they can examine how Monet's painting is different, in its texture and the feelings it conjures in the viewer. Was Monet happy or sad when he painted the bridge? Was he peaceful or angry? How do the colors, images and textures create such ideas in the mind of a viewer?