We hadn't been to Monet's garden in Giverny in many years and might not have gone this week were it not for the exhibition Bonnard en Normandie at the Museum of Impressionism at the other end of the town. The work in the exhibition was interesting, very unlike the Bonnards I'm familiar with, the interiors and family scenes looking from inside to the outside. Here he was painting the outside front and center, landscapes reminiscent of Monet, with whom he was quite close.
And since the exhibition was smallish and took less time than we had thought, we strolled down to visit M. Monet's garden.
Whatever memory we had of it was faint and we were overwhelmed by its loveliness.
The sky was overcast and the clouds reflected in the pond, making the lotuses appear to float on them, or on the trees also reflected in the water.
I think I recall that Monet had had the river diverted to supply his pool, and the narrow stream flowed between lily-edged banks.
It's been an unusually warm spring and many of the blooms had been convinced it was summer.
It was definitely worth the walk down the street.
2 comments:
So lovely...this little trip and all the flowers are so beautiful!
I visited Giverny for the first time about 5 years ago. Much as I had always loved Monet, it was on that visit that I really GOT the whole Impressionist/light thing. Haven't looked at his -- or other Impressionists' -- works in the same way since. Lisa L
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