“Without the water the lilies cannot live,” said Claude Monet, “as I am without art.” One of Monet’s cherished water lily paintings is held by the Portland Art Museum. This one was coated with varnish during an early restoration, an approach at odds with Monet’s own technique. He favored a rough matte surface that captures color and light with accuracy. The varnish has since been removed and the painting’s true nature revealed. This exhibition presents the masterpiece alongside works that inspired it: Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints—the so-called “floating world” images that had a profound influence on the French painter. —Elena Clavarino