Claude Monet and the Gardens of Giverny

Monet Paintings Inspired by the Plants and Flowers at Giverny

Oct 19, 2009

Claude Monet was one of the great French impressionists who drew inspiration for some of his most famous paintings from the gardens of his home at Giverny in France.

Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) was an artist who is often described as one of the great French impressionists; indeed, it is a Claude Monet painting entitled Impression, soleil levant (Impression, sunrise) which gave its name to the French art movement of the 19th century. Claude Monet spent much of his life at his home in Giverny, France. In addition, the village of Giverny itself became a haven for American painters in the early 20th century.

Many of Claude Monet's paintings depict scenes and impressions of the plants, flowers and structures of the now famous gardens at his home in Giverny; today it is still possible to visit the gardens of Giverny in France and see the inspiration behind some of Claude Monet's art work.

Claude Monet – The Discovery of Giverny

Claude Monet was born in Paris, France in 1840 but it was not until 1883 that Claude Monet discovered the village of Giverny which caught his eye from the window of a train. Claude Monet lost his first wife, Camille Doncieux, in 1879, with whom he had two sons.

Claude Monet moved to his new home at Giverny with his future second wife, Alice Hoschede, and a blended family of Monet's two sons and Hoschede's six children. At first, Claude Monet rented the house at Giverny but in 1890 he was prosperous enough to buy the property, due to the success of his paintings.

The Design of the Gardens of Giverny

When Claude Monet originally rented the house at Giverny, it was a hectare of land with a farm house, orchard and vegetable garden; when Claude Monet purchased the property he completely transformed it, adding features such as the Japanese bridge, the water garden and thousands of flowers and plants, in addition to buying further land to extend the gardens.

Claude Monet did not like the design of many formal French gardens and instead planted flowers freely according to color, resulting in a sense of wildness in the Giverny garden. Claude Monet also became extremely interested in botany and was passionate about introducing rare and unusual plants into the gardens at Giverny. This passion resulted in the creation of the water gardens and Japanese bridge, with the addition of 'foreign' plants, which troubled some of the neighboring villagers, who had not seen such plants before.

Plants and Flowers in the Giverny Gardens

The gardens of Giverny are home to many plants and flowers; a selection of these plants include (depending on season):

Monet Paintings Inspired by the Plants, Flowers and Structures at Giverny

Claude Monet's most famous Giverny paintings are those of the water gardens; the Japanese bridge features in a lot of Monet's water garden paintings. The water lilies of the Giverny gardens inspired a historic series of oil paintings by Monet, which are displayed in many of the world's art galleries, including a permanent collection of water lily Monet paintings in the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris. Naturally, many of Claude Monet's paintings feature flowers and plants from the gardens of Giverny.

Visiting Giverny Gardens in France

The village of Giverny, the location of Claude Monet's gardens, is located 80 kilometers west of Paris. The Giverny gardens are open each day from April 1st to November 1st, 9.30 am to 6 pm; check for possible local closures on some days or a change in opening hours. Guided tours are available and it is possible to book tickets in advance on line. For further information on pricing and available discounts visit the Giverny Area Gardens non-profit website.

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The copyright of the article Claude Monet and the Gardens of Giverny in Botany is owned by Sharon Falsetto. Permission to republish Claude Monet and the Gardens of Giverny in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.