I’m reposting a blog from the summer I traveled to Giverny—a perfect escape to the artistic domain created by Monet.
REMEMBERING GIVERNY
CHASING MONET’S DREAM
I am chasing a dream. I want the unattainable. Other artists paint a bridge, a house, a boat; and that’s the end. They’ve finished. I want to paint the AIR which surrounds the bridge, the house, the boat; the beauty of the air in which these objects are located; and that is nothing short of impossible. If only I could satisfy myself with what is possible.
Claude Monet*
Rain and periods of downpour pursued our tour bus as we drove toward Giverny on Monday morning a week ago. Yet, glimpses of soft blue began to appear in the sky as we journeyed closer to Monet’s paradise. And, then on arrival, the precipitation mainly stopped, although the sun still eluded us—until near the end of our stay, briefly illuminating the water lily pond.
So here are a few impressions quickly assembled and just a preview of a more in-depth presentation planned for the future.
Beginning with the artist’s home, surrounded by les fleurs and tourists.
Giverny, photo, Joan Hart
Next, the multi-colored flamboyance of the Grande Allee nearby,
Giverny, photo by Joan Hart
and countless pathways of flowers freely growing in all directions.
Giverny, photo by Joan Hart
Interrupted occasionally by some signs of gardening,
and directions to the water lilies.
Go through the connecting tunnel—and voila!
Giverny, photo by Joan Hart
However, who is the caretaker of Monet’s dream? Laboring daily, intent on his mission,
Giverny, photo by Joan Hart
preserving the elegance and beauty of the lilies, just starting to open,
Giverny, photo by Joan Hart
as they awaken to le soleil’s rays.
Giverny, photo by Joan Hart
*Quote of Claude Monet from Monet at Giverny by Caroline Holmes, Seven Dials publisher, 2001, London, UK.
Discover your own Giverny with Monet in Through an Artist’s Eyes: Learning to Live Creatively.
