Monet's Garden in Art

by Mancoff, Debra N.

• ISBN13: 9780711223714
• ISBN10: 0711223718
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-01
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Summary

In the first book to focus on Monet's garden at Giverny as seen through hisaintings, Debra Mancoff offers a revealing insight into the artist and hisork. Monet's garden in Normandy was a private haven where domestic pleasure,rtistic vision and aesthetic delight converged. It became as powerful aassion in his life as painting - he chose his planting schemes as carefullys he chose colours for his palette. It was also the inspiration for his art,nd the subject of some of his greatest paintings. Exploring his vision ofhe world of beauty he brought into being, Debra Mancoff shows how Monet'sndeavours as a gardener were an essential part of his identity as a painternd how his artistic vision drew strength from his passion for his garden.

Author Biography

Debra N. Mancoff received her doctorate in Art History from northwestern University and taught at the Art institute of Chicago. She is currently a Scholar in Residence at the Newberry library in Chicago. She writes for The Art Quarterly, The Royal Academy Magazine and The Art Newspaper and is the author of numerous books on European and American art and culture.

Excerpts

More than anyone else, Claude Monet recognized that his garden, rather than his words, presented the path to understanding his art. In 1920, to mark the occasion of Monet's eightieth birthday, the Duc du Trevise, a noted collector of Impressionist painting, made a journey to Giverny. He was met at the gate by the elderly master, who, still vigorous, looked like 'a poet's vision of old age'. Trevise was eager to see the vast studies for the Grandes Decorations housed in Monet's studio, but the painter's first words surprised and delighted him. Monet greeted his guest with a simple suggestion: 'It's a beautiful day. Shall we take a turn in the garden?'



While Monet was cautious about discussing his art, he was always eager to talk about his garden. His involvement with gardening grew over the years, from the modest flowerbeds that brightened the first house he rented in Argenteuil to the magnificent gardens he cultivated at his home in Giverny. No visit to his home was ever complete without an escorted tour of his two gardens - the colourful flower garden and the tranquil water garden. Critics and colleagues often commented that Monet was a changed man in his garden. The stern manner and the gruff wariness that characterized his public persona in Paris gave way to warmth and ebullience in Giverny.. He was always urging his visitors not to miss the ephemeral beauty of his flowers: the blossoming of the iris in the spring, the opening of the aquatic lilies in the afternoon, the blooming of the wisteria as the sun gained strength in the summer. But astute visitors realized that Monet wanted to share more with them than the dazzling seasonal display. The garden offered insight into Monet's art, with a beauty and clarity that he could not put into words.