Home/Symbols/Shimmering water and reflectionsShimmering water and reflections SymbolismOptical sensation and the fleeting instant—reality perceived as flicker rather than fixed contour.Common ThemesThe modern lens: urban life & speedClass distinction & status displayMimesis vs. abstraction (truth vs. artifice)Lasting vs. fleeting (ephemerality)Medium reflexivity (art about art)Capital, commodity, and consumptionEveryday life as art (readymade, the ordinary)Speed, circulation, and networksArtworks Featuring This SymbolLa GrenouillèreClaude Monet (1869)Monet’s La Grenouillère crystallizes the new culture of <strong>modern leisure</strong> on the Seine: crowded bathers, promenading couples, and rental boats orbit a floating resort. With <strong>flickering brushwork</strong> and a high-key palette, Monet turns water, light, and movement into the true subjects, suspending the scene at the brink of dissolving.
