Kindred Souls

Claude Monet, one of the best-loved of all artists, was a leading figure in the Impressionist circle. His first subjects reflected the world he knew; the boats of his native Le Havre, the streets of Paris, and the fields and forests of the surrounding countryside. But the subject that was closest to his heart, and dominated his later work, was his garden a Giverny, 65 kilometres northwest of Paris.

For Monet, his garden was a private haven, where domestic pleasure and artistic vision converged. Monet cultivated his garden as a continual source of renewal and inspiration and chose his plantings as carefully as he chose the colors for his palette. The paintings he created in his garden are some of his most famous.





Painting and gardening were the two most powerful influences in his life according to author Debra Mancoff, Monet's Garden in Art. I find myself sharing the same passions; Are we kindred souls?

Throughout his long and productive career, Monet believed that his art served a particular purpose: to give material form to the expression of his feelings in front of the visual spectacle of nature. What a powerful statement!