In Reflects III, Diane Burko captures a tranquil yet complex landscape in the Giverny gardens in northern France, home to the Impressionist painter Claude Monet. The painting presents a pond where the water’s surface mirrors the surrounding plants and sky. Burko’s balance of detail and ambiguity creates a serene atmosphere with hints of uncertainty in the shadows. Burko employs numerous techniques to evoke this ambiance. She contrasts vibrant flowering bushes and floating lily pads with areas of mysterious darkness that invite closer inspection. Unlike her predecessor Monet, who painted human subjects and signs of industrialization, Burko shows no trace of human presence. Instead, she focuses on depth and movement, establishing a dynamic tension between nature and the viewer. Burko offers an exploration into a landscape that feels serene yet unknowable, reflecting the complexity of nature itself and humanity’s role within it.
— Eva Nicolosi, VU student

"Thanks to a Lila Acheson Wallace Fellowship from La Selection-Readers Digest, I spent a six-month residency at Monet's estate in 1989, in Giverny. I was given an apartment and studio across from the museum, a Renault Cinq and a stipend, as well as round trip fare and a French easel. C'etait comme un reve. For six months, from April through September, I traveled and painted throughout France - on the cliffs of Etretat, Petit Creuse,Belle Isle and, especially at Monet's Lily pond after 6PM and before the visitors arrived in the mornings." Reflects III, in the Villanova University Art Collection is a stunning product from the artist's time in France, a nod to the great Monet and a reminder of how fragile our environment is.