Nature into Art – or, how to create a Living Paradise on Earth…

Gardens have always held a special attraction for people: nearly all great civilizations have embraced gardens, although their forms and purposes have differed, as it has differed through different epochs in time within the same cultural circles. The walled garden of mediaeval times, to take one example, was seen as analogous to The Garden of Eden: it embeds the idea of a garden as a sacred, private place where safety could be found. For many of us, that idea is still with us: it is a place for contemplation, for contact with Nature, for extraordinary pleasures of aesthetical (and culinary!) pleasures.

-Apple tree in blossom in the Village of Giverny

One main reason for wanting to visit Paris this spring was to have the possibility to visit the Impressionist painters Claude Monet’s (1840-1926) famous garden in Giverny. An hours ride with train from Paris “Gare Saint Lazare” take you to Vernon, from which there is a short bus ride or a 3km walk through an idyllic rural landscape.

A typical house in Giverny Village

A poor artist widower with two small children, living together with Alice Hoschede and her six children, he swore when he received yet another eviction notice for unpaid rent in the early spring of 1883 that he would set out on foot following the river Seine and not return until he had found a place they could stay, hopefully for the rest of their lives.

 (historical photo)

It was May, and the apple orchards in Normandie were filled with blooms: the fields with wild poppies, forget-me-nots and myriads of other wilds flowers. A true painter’s paradise!

Crab apple tree in glorious springtime bloom

Monet came past an abandoned cider farm – Le Pressoir – and its pink stucco façade, green shutters, trees in full bloom and an impressive alley leading up to the front door gave promises of a charming bohemian-burgeouise life. The surrounding fields, the river nearby and its large garden promised access to inspiring and fascinating painting subjects.

 

Monets house in Giverny as it is seen today.

Making his enquiries he was allowed to rent the property, and later to buy it. He was 43 years old, and fate would have it that he was to spend exactly the next 43 remaining years of his life there, painting, gardening, and living a harmonious family life with Alice and their total of 8 children…

 (Historical photo)

Having this place as a secure retreat at last allowed him to create that special world from where he would send out in the world paintings that would reflect not just a paradisiacal garden, but even more, reflections of a State of Mind.

The house in Close Normand who was a constant painting subject, and his later addition, The Water Garden from which he found the inspiration for his large Water Lily Series that still captivate us.

Why do we love Monet and his paintings so much, still today? Perhaps he was one who truly searched, and found, like so many of us who adore his work, that to create a garden is to invite into one’s life many lifetimes of pleasures for the benefit of the Soul, Mind and Body.

Flowers in all colours make your heart sing with joy!

Needless to say this was a wonderful and inspiring experience, and as my own project moves along I will post something about my own sucesses and failures – an arch leading to my studio entrance is already in place, Gladiolous have been put in the ground and are starting to get their heads up, climbing Roses have been planted together with Hibiscus and White Oleander and something blue that I did not really get the name… More Bougainvilleas along the arches are in place and various elements that hopefully will stop the elephants and buffaloes to create a total havoc absolutely every time they come by have been put in place (a windchimer so far being the best remedy together with sturdy bush fences… but that is for later! No go gardening some more… when to paint in all this??? well… even Monet had that problem but he did certainly manage after a while, so it is just to once again find inspiration not only in the approach to painting, nature and colours per se, but also in the dedicated work in the artistic field during a long and happy life.

 

-The famous “japanese style” in the water garden

Thank you for reading!

For Monets garden as well as paintings see the website: http://giverny.org/monet/welcome.htm

And, ah, for those of you living in or visiting Japan: The Japanese Emperor visited Monet in his garden: He had a japanese gardener helping him finding rare plants, and there is a garden in Kitagawa-mura reconstructed by mr. Gerard Van Der Kemp as a Milennium project along the same principles as Giveny to be visited: More info is in this link:  htpp://www.vernon-visite.org/rgb3/monet_garden_kitagawa.htm

-You are still in our thoughts and hearts and prayers…