Monday, May 17, 2010

A Monet Moment

So ... did I tell you? I'm not just going to Paris. As you can probably guess from the name of this post, I'm also going to Giverny ... to visit Monet's garden and home. It's part of our tour itinerary. We'll be travelling by train, along the banks of the Seine, to Vernon in the beautiful region of Normandy. 

This book - "Monet" by Christoph Heinrich (published in 2000), is one I bought - probably on sale in the bargain bin at my local bookstore - years ago. I remember reading it, and as I look back at its pages, I find it exciting to think that in less than five months, I'll be there in PERSON.
This is my mouse pad ~ yep, that's "a Monet." I don't know the name of this painting, and I should. It's been under my hand now for - oh, I dunno - over five years, I'd say. 
Using a simple palette, Monet created dreamy worlds with his magnificent strokes. "According to James Heard in his book Paint Like Monet, analysis of Monet's paintings show Monet used these nine colors:
(Note: Yes, that's one color - "ivory black" - in the list above, not ivory and black. Ivory Black is actually Pigment Black 9, made from charred bones.)

The back of my Monet book shows a black and white photo of the painter in his garden. He looks like a gnome with his hat and long beard, standing amidst the lush leaves and trees all around him.

Too bad I am not going to see Monet's gardens in the spring. That's the best time to see everything in bloom, full of color and life. I'll be there at the end of September. The flowers may not be all in bloom, but at least there will be leaves . And maybe Monet's fantôme!

3 comments:

the paris apartment said...

I'm sure it will be magnificent even if it's not springtime. You're so smart to plan ahead! I just added you to my blogroll and hope I'm more of a planner like you for my next trip!

Unknown said...

Oh I remember studying this! The uniqueness of his palettes are just amazing!

Karin B (Looking for Ballast) said...

I just got to see the panels "Les Nymphéas" at the Musée de L'Orangerie for the first time at the "Night at the Museum" this past Saturday. They were so beautiful. I have always loved the reproductions of Monet's works and it is so cool to be able to see them for real, in person. Now I am hoping to get to Giverny and also the Musée Marmottan Monet.

I think Giverny will be lovely in the fall. Different than the spring, but just as beautiful.

From the BBC series on Paris, Blood and Chocolate (Part 2 of 3). Enjoy!

Streets of Paris - I shot this the day I left Paris, on a rainy September morning.

Small group Paris tours for women