When there is no wind at all, the water lilies painted by Monet at Giverny seem to be floating in the air.
The surface of the pond is such a perfect mirror that the water turns invisible.
The rafts of water lilies resemble flying carpets en route for a long trip to mysterious countries.
This is what you can expect if you are visiting Giverny in Early April. The white and pink magnolias are in blossom. Very soon, their flowers will fall on the lawns, creating a white circle at the foot of the trees.
The pimples of weeping willows have burst, long branches of fresh green leaves hang over the pond, reflecting in endless verticals.
Patches of yellow or white daffodils illuminate the spring grass and diffuse a fabulous scent.
Monet’s pond, where only a few water lily pads announce the future splendour of Summer, is stiller than ever, and the atmosphere very peaceful.
All the benches and bridges have been repainted a bright green. They look inviting.
And birds sing like mads, offering the perfect voice track for a quiet and serene visit of Giverny.
This place especially, where the long branches of three big weeping willows reach the surface of the pond, offering views on to the blooming water lilies, looks familiar.
Claude Monet loved this spot that he painted over and over again, and that is even featured on the huge Grandes Decorations at l’Orangerie.
The vertical lines mixed with the floating water lilies and the reflections on the surface of the pond challenged his command of perspective.
Monet was keen on painting through the weeping willow. It was difficult, and he liked the challenge.
There was the vertical axis of the branches and the horizontal axis of the floating water lilies.
In addition, the reflection of the sky looks like a hole in the water.
And Monet could even see the stems of the flowers under the surface.
When he painted here, he had to mix all the different plans to put them on the two dimensional canvas.
Spring has come suddenly. It was warm and sunny today, and the sunshine enhanced the bright colors of Monet’s flower garden.
In the water garden the azaleas are in full bloom. On the trees the little leaves look tender and fresh.
April light has a special quality, a sort of sparkling effect that can be noticed on Monet’s footbridge seen into backlight.