The Sights and Sounds of Claude Monet’s Giverny

Artists from around the world have traveled to Northern France to experience the dramatic light; none more famous than Monet. Claude Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting. A prolific artist, he expressed himself through nature and what ultimately captivated Monet was the light and shadows that played on his subjects and nowhere was that more striking than in Normandy, France.

* In the museum there is a study of painting with the haystacks to show the different lighting throughout the day

Another view of the pond

Every angle captures the light differently

Normandy has one of the most dramatic skies that you will ever see. Large pillows of puffy white clouds that filter and bend the light interrupt the deep blue sky above. Streams of light break through to illuminate and create shadows on the landscape below. At times the sky is angry; dark grey clouds block the sun. The prevailing winds keep the clouds in motion and the weather ever changing.

A close-up of the top photograph

* Monet’s Lilies

We toured Northern France from a culinary perspective, but I fell in love from an artist’s point of view. As a photographer, the light captivated me. The early morning beams, that are so crisp and clear, illuminated the flowers and fields. The early evening, the “golden hour,” just before sunset, casts a warmth of gold and orange over the landscape.

The flowers of Monet’s garden

Monet’s Irises in the Garden

Monet’s Golden Hour Bridge at Argenteuil

Giverny is Claude Monet’s private garden and water lily pond in the quaint town of Vernon. Claude Monet led a poor and somewhat uninteresting life, until he married the neighbor’s wife. I’ll let you read that story here. Later in life, with new found wealth, he created his own garden to capture the light and provide the subject of many of his impressionist paintings.

Bamboo stalks

Monet liked to paint fishing boats

This article is a celebration of the beauty of Giverny and the light and clouds. We hope you enjoy the photographs and plan your own trip to experience Normandy and to visit the home of Claude Monet in Vernon, France.

A last view of the flowers and pond

* Pictures of these paintings are courtesy of Claude Monet, The Complete Works

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