“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.”
Monet’s waterlily masterpieces are recognized the world over. What is the story behind his gardens at Giverny?
Claude Monet (1840 –1926) was 43 when he moved to Giverny in 1883. Gardening became a passion. With the wise advice of friends who were experienced gardeners, Monet developed his original garden, reminiscent of his art – full of movement and with light that constantly quivering colors. Gradually abandoned after the artist’s death, the gardens were restored from 1977 and were opened to the public for the first time in 1980.
The estate was bequeathed by Claude’s son, Michel, to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1966, and it was restored between 1977 and 1980. On the ground floor, beyond the small blue lounge or reading room, the door opens onto the primitive studio, which was converted into a living room when Monet set up a new studio separate from the house.
At any time of year, visitors feel as if they are entering paradise. It is a colorful, fragrant kingdom of flowers. The roses are scattered in the ground, in bushes, hedges and trellises, climbing up the walls or clinging to the pillars and arches of the central path. The small river Epte used to flow under a canopy of leaves, and Monet enjoyed taking his guests in a small boat on the river all the way to the Seine. Monet obtained permission to divert the Rû to create ponds. After diverting the watercourse into excavated ponds, Monet designed his garden and flowerbeds with the willows trailing their green curls, bamboo sprouting from the ground and rhododendron flowerbeds lining the paths. Monet also planted water lilies in the ponds, their roots floating in the water, over which they spread their large leaves, blooming with white and pink or mauve and green flowers.
Monet had many long, difficult years struggling to establish his artwork, after periods of poverty and scathing criticism, but in 1883, Monet moved to Giverny. The elongated house, clad in pink plaster, provided an ideal environment for creativity. His passion for plants soon blossomed in the unique garden. The house was large enough to accommodate his large mixed family, ahead of their time, with the six children of his partner (and wife in 1892) Alice Hoschedé and his own two sons Jean and Michel. After dinner, Monet traditionally took his guests into the garden. strolling along the central path, careful not to step on the nasturtiums that he liked to let creep across the ground. Towards the end of his life, the corolla of water lilies kept tempting Monet to push the boundaries between water and air, the light and the invisible. He never ceased to be obsessed with water: “I am again trying to capture what cannot be captured: Water with rippling grass in the background . . . it is admirable to see, but it can drive one crazy to attempt such a thing. Oh well! I always throw myself into things like that!” Monet died in Giverny in December, 1926. His coffin was carried to the cemetery by his gardeners during the simple funeral he had wished for. In Monet’s day, seven gardeners were employed full-time all year round. After his death, nature gradually took control and eventually erased any memory of the artist.
In 1966, at the age of 88, Michel Monet died in a car accident. Having no direct heir, he left the estate to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in his will. In 1977, the Académie asked Gérald Van der Kemp, a member, to help save Giverny. First, sponsors had to be found. Most of the funding came from the United States through the Versailles Foundation Inc Claude Monet-Giverny. Generous donations began to pour in. The house and studios were restored and the furniture replaced. The gardens regained their identity. The plant list, the garden plans, and the numerous photographs were used to guide the selection of the beds and the design. In 1976, a complete list of the plants ordered by Monet was found when a fire destroyed all the archives. Fortunately, there was a detailed description and family memories also helped identify some plants, such as a list of irises, and which plants Monet liked or disliked. Some cultivars had disappeared from the catalogues of the nurseries and were replaced by others that were similar. In 1980, the House and Gardens of Claude Monet opened its doors to the public. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Normandy. Every year, between the end of March and the beginning of November, some 500,000 enthusiastic visitors come to visit.
https://www.alethea-magazine.com/THE-HISTORY-OF-GIVERNY-Claude-Monets-house-and-garden
Stunning pictures and paintings.