The French Trip
May 11, 2022: Giverny. Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny inspired his painting for more than forty years. “My Garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” he said. We visited his home and garden in May, and found it inspiring as well.
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
― Claude Monet
The Impressionists
Monet founded the impressionist painting movement; it takes its name from his 1872 painting “Impression, Sunrise.” His style, full of color and light but devoid of details, revolutionized art. He suffered from cataracts. I suspect that greatly influenced his abstract style!
Water water lilies inspired Monet’s most famous paintings. Late in life, he painted them endlessly, at different times of day and with different light. And his worked inspired others… Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, and many more. Monet filled the walls of his Giverny home with the paintings from these friends.
The Garden in Giverny
Monet settled into his house in Giverny with his family, and expanded the house and gardens as funds permitted. He loved color, and his pink-stucco house is nearly as vibrant as the flowers.
While the famous lilies were not blooming (July-October) during our May visit, the garden flushed with color. It is easy to see the colors and reflections of his garden in his paintings. The house and gardens merit a day-trip from Paris or Normandy. They show some beautiful French history that is not about wars and kings.
