Entries Categorized as 'Claude Monet'
March 6, 2009
Monet and Manet were good friends, as appears on this painting by Edouard Manet featuring Claude Monet and his family in their garden at Argenteuil.
The woman in white is Camille, who often posed for Monet and his painters friends, especially Manet and Renoir.
The relaxed boy leaning against her is Jean, their eldest son. A second one, Michel, came later, shortly before Camille died.
Both of these two boys married, but none of them got any child. Monet didn’t have any grand-child. However, he lived surrounded by young people because his second wife Alice brought eight children in the wedding. And she had many many descendants, about one hundred nowadays!
Posted in Claude Monet No Comments »
January 28, 2009
This is a view of Claude Monet standing in his first studio amidst his favorite canvases. The light of the afternoon is almost palpable.
This room located in his main house at Giverny was turned into his sitting-room after 1890.
When Monet became successful, he built a new house in the corner of his garden, where he moved his studio. He had now a well lit large room to work in and to store his paintings. The former studio became a place where he used to have a liquor after lunch, where he would sit to read a gardening book or a novel by Maupassant. Monet also used to write many letters.
The paintings for sale where displayed in the second studio whereas he kept the ones he cherished too much to sell them in the first studio.
The picture was made in springtime according to the tulips behind Monet. The photo reveals how much the painter loved flowers. There were at least six vases in his studio on this day!
Posted in Claude Monet, Monet's House 2 Comments »
October 25, 2008
The fallen leaves of the three liquidambars look like stars picked on the surface of Monet’s pond at
Giverny.
They twinkle against the dark blue reflection of the sky.
In 19th Century France it was a common pattern to paint murals of stars in the night on the ceilings of churches.
Posted in Claude Monet, Water-Garden 2 Comments »
October 24, 2008
This is the Famous Japanese Bridge that Claude Monet painted so often.
It deserves lots of capitals because it has become the icon of the painter’s garden at Giverny.
In the bright sunshine its green turns almost blue, as can be observed on Monet’s paintings of this motive.
The picture was made in July when the wisteria tangled on the arbor flowers for a second time. This second blooming while the leaves are out is by far more discreet than the first one in May.
Posted in Claude Monet, Water-Garden 2 Comments »
July 8, 2008
When he didn’t paint, Monet liked to be well dressed.
Look at him standing in the main alley of his garden at Giverny. Monet did his best to look elegant. I am not sure he always achieved this target, for he had a funny and complicated way of dressing. He liked round shaped jackets, as a result he looked a bit like a big insect.
Anyway, Monet went to the best tailors in Paris and ordered expensive suits, even when he was short of money. He just didn’t pay for the bills… I was told the English aristocrats didn’t either in the 19th century. Obviously, Monet’s tailors were not enthralled and the painter would get into troubles, of course.
Posted in Claude Monet No Comments »
