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Yesterday, we took a tour of Claude Monet's home, gardens and small museum in the Village of Giverny, which is about one hour west of the west-end of Paris. It is in the hilly eastern region of Normandy (High Normandy), as opposed to the flatter western area (Low Normandy) where the beaches like Omaha and Utah (of D-Day Invasion fame) are located. Our tour was guided by Pascal who drove seven of us in a comfy Mercedes minivan.
During our ride, Pascal explained that Monet (1840-1926), and the other French "impressionists" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were so named by an art critic who criticized them because they give the "impression" of being artists, but were not true artists because the subjects of their work were mundane portrayals of landscapes instead of the biblical and mythological subjects that had been painted by the greats for many centuries. The artists who were called "impressionists" embraced the name and went on to change the art world by making it acceptable to depict non-religious themes with their use of primary colors and pointalism.
Giverny is a gorgeous little town, very quaint and picturesque. Monet's house, where he lived with his second wife in his later years, is spaceous and ivy-covered. The gardens are extensive and have been restored in recent years to include the magnificent array of flowers that Monet had planted, both so he could be surrounded by their inherent beauty and as subjects of many of his still-life paintings. There is also a pond within the gardens that has two Japanese-style footbridges, and lots of lily pads, the subject of his famous series of 250 paintings called "Water Lilies". The entire property was donated by Monet's son to a foundation that manages it as a museum and tourist attraction. If you click on "Photos" (above), you can see the house, part of the kitchen (which we couldn't resist, even though no picture-taking was permitted indoors), the gardens & pond, and a few close-ups of some of the gorgeous flowers.
We very much enjoyed this relaxing day tour in which we had a chance to immerse ourselves in the beauty and tranquility of the Monet home and gardens.
Adieu,
R&S
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