Weekend Weather

Snow, ughh. They are calling for a foot if it here in the foothills tonight. I'm not a fan. I am a fan of Claude Monet though. And this snowy scene of the road outside of his home is a favorite of mine.

The Road to Giverny, Winter

by Claude Monet c.1885

I cannot get enough of those pink trees framing that creamy white church. And that road! It just looks delicious, like someone ran a fork through the top of a freshly iced cake.

Daydreaming about this painting (and dessert) suddenly triggered an old memory and I just realized something; Claude Monet is the reason why I heart (most) art! Actually, to be more specific, the reason I heart (most) art is because of this book about Claude Monet's life at his country home named Giverny:

My first art history book

I'm pretty sure my grandparents gave it to me when I was 7 or 8. It tells the story of a little girl's first visit to Giverny and mixes in first hand accounts of the painter's life and work told by his grandchildren. I read it constantly.

We used to climb the old brick walls around the bird sanctuary in my neighborhood on days it was closed and I pretended it was Giverny. It isn't anywhere near France, but it had both footbridges and lilly ponds.

This book led to the purchase of many posters, countless postcards and bookmarks. Since it was on featured on the book jacket, The Japanese Footbridge was first. It came pre-framed from Garden Ridge.

The Japanese Footbridge

c. 1899

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Irises came second:

Monet's Garden, the Irises

c. 1900

Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France

And then there was Antibes:

Antibes (On the French Riviera)

c. 1888

The Courtauld Institue of Art, London

As my taste in art changed the posters came down slowly, one by one. They were replaced by art deco ads, collages, picture frames and paintings borrowed from other rooms in the house. Antibes held out the longest, finally coming down this past year, when my mom turned my old room into a guest room. It is, and always will be, my favorite.

As a child I was convinced that heaven looks a lot like Monet's garden in full bloom. I still believe that.

Can you tell I'm ready for spring?