Wed 20 April – 7:30pm- 9:30pm
An illustrated talk by Dr Anne Anderson of Solent University on
”A Painter’s Paradise: Monet’s Garden at Giverny”
Dr Anne Anderson FSA Biography
A Painter’s Paradise: Monet’s Garden at Giverny
Monet spotted the small hamlet of Giverny from the window of a train in 1883. He was desperate to find a place to settle with his extended family: the two sons from his own marriage to Camille and Alice Hoschede, plus her six children, whom he will eventually be able to marry in 1892. Needless to say, the villagers found the liaison with Alice scandalous.
At first he had to rent a house, Le Pressoir (Apple Press) but he was able to buy the property in 1890.
He developed the Clos Normand, the garden close to the house, planting rows of flowers, which changed with the seasons, and archways of climbing plants. He then created the water garden by diverting water from the river Epte.
The best time of the year to see this garden is late April/May when wisteria covers the iconic Japanese bridge. However, it was his water lilies that dominated his later canvases, these images moving away from a simple transcription of nature to something more mystical.
