Beauty For The Soul

When you hear your favorite music or view a beautiful painting, do you feel happy and uplifted?  It is wonderful how something beautiful can give you peace and serenity.

There are a number of fascinating Impressionist paintings that I love looking at, and one of my favorite artists is Monet.  Of all the Impressionist painters during the 1870s and 1880s, Monet was the only one to achieve financial success during his lifetime.

His first wife died of tuberculosis when his two sons were young, and Monet was still financially insecure.  He was dependent on a wealthy patron, who commissioned his work, and suffered a major setback when his patron went bankrupt and fled to Belgium, leaving behind his wife and six children.

Monet and his former patron’s wife fell in love and eventually moved their large combined family to a rented house in Giverny that Monet was able to buy seven years later.

Some of Monet’s most famous paintings were views of his gardens, especially the water lilies floating in the pond with the picturesque curved foot bridge rising above them.

When you visit Giverny, you feel as though you are sharing Monet’s vision, as you experience the gardens the way he did.  It is possible to wander through the long rows of flowers, savor the furnishings in his cozy home, and walk across the bridge while looking down at the floating water lilies.  The past becomes the present.

Giverny is open to the public from May 1st through October, although the flowers in the gardens will not be as lush in May.

If you are not driving to Giverny, there are other ways to visit.  Most of the river cruises between Paris and the Normandy Beaches schedule an included excursion to Giverny, and there is time to tour the house and grounds, make some purchases at the excellent gift shop, and, if you are quick, visit the small cemetery down the road where Monet and his second wife are buried.

To go from Paris by train takes a minimum of 45 minutes beginning at the Saint-Lazare Paris station to arrive at the town of Vernon.  From Vernon, you can take a shuttle bus or taxi to Giverny.

If you want to see the large, striking water lily panels that Monet painted near the end of his life, the small Musee Marmottan is located in a residential area of Paris, easily accessed by metro and a 10 to 15 minute walk.

This is a very special museum in Paris which is guaranteed to lift your spirits and give you happiness as a reward for appreciating beautiful art.