Part II : Jardin de Monet, Giverny
Part III : Fondation Claude Monet (Maison de Claude Monet / Monet’s House), Giverny
Claude Monet (1840-1926) was a founder of French impressionist painting. The term ‘impressionism’ itself was derived from one of his paintings, Impression, Soleil, created in 1872.
In 1883 he rented a house in Giverny. In 1890 he was able to buy it and all the surrounding property. Passionate about gardening, he instructed a gardener and landscape architect to create the stunning gardens with the famous lily pads that we still see today. He lived in this house and painted until his last years, always using his garden as inspiration.
After wandering around the gardens feeling like Alice in Wonderland it was time to go inside to check out his house. After having seen Paul Cézanne‘s studio in Aix en Provence a few years prior, I had similar thoughts and feelings as I walked throughout his house. My mind and imagination went crazy with thoughts of what it must have been like to live there all those years ago and use this space to paint these famous artworks…
Both his house and gardens have been immaculately restored, after turning into ruins in the late 70s. While we were there I could see gardeners tending to the huge task of maintaining the garden…
I could see that he was a big fan of pastel colours, not only from his paintings, but from the interior design of his house. Each room was painted in a different pastel colour: the ground floor with the light blue salon (reading room), the light blue kitchen with beautiful blue and white porcelain tiles, and the yellow kitchen, and the first floor with the white-walled and pale green-walled bedrooms… I loved the kitchen the most. The bright copper pots hanging against the bright blue and white tiles was so beautiful. And it was huge! I imagined what kind of meals they would prepare inside that huge kitchen and then eating together on that huge dining table…
The gift store, Atelier des Nymphéas (inside the former Waterlilies Studio)
They have an online store too.
If you go to Giverny, you should also visit the Impressionist’s museum not far away, featuring many works by famous American impressionist painters.
