Eugène Boudin — Musée Marmottan Monet

 

Yesterday I was headed to the races 🐎 

And ended up at la plage 🏖️ beach.

I went to buy stamps, En Jeu! Musée Marmottan Monet

 

Samedi/Saturday was gorgeous. Guess - tourists or Parisiennes?

No way could you stay inside.

To Trouville-sur-mer

 I left the house at 6:02 Two of my 3 alarms ⏰ went off at 5:00 am 👏

I am on Metro ligne 7 at 6:14 am

Mount Fuji - pays de neige, Musee Guimet

If you live in the Northeast in the USA you woke up to 12-20 inches of snow this morning. Paris was a balmy 54 degrees. Coats and windows were open. 

A good time to show you an exhibit at Musee Guimet - Mont Fuji - land of snow. 

Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period (1603 - 1868). They capture the infinite silence of snow gently falling. 

Here’s a very ‘Japanese’ snow scene from New York photographer, Noam Galai, taken yesterday of a Sabret hot dog stand.

Around 1830, 70-year-old Hokusai became obsessed with snow-covered Mount Fuji, as a symbol of monumentality. 

The titles of his prints are like haiku poems; 

‘Fine winds, Clear morning’ 

‘Rainstorm beneath the summit’ 

‘New paddies at Ono’

The introduction of Prussian blue pigment , a deep greeny-blue stain brought in by  Commadore Perry when he ‘opened’ Japan,

                  Added depth and  contrast to Edo prints. 

Check out Lise Martinot’s Youtube lecture(in French) on their influence.

In Musee Guimet’s terrific gift shop I bought an accordion book of bird prints now gracing my wall, most with Prussian blue backgrounds. By the way they have Hokusai ‘Great Wave’ socks and face masks. 

Claude Monet, like Impressionists Manet and Van Gogh, obsessively collected 250 Japanese prints for inspiration. They graced the walls of his famous yellow dining room at Giverny. 

Yesterday morning, the sky out my window was pale Prussian blue. Keep warm PBers🐻🎨❤️

Monet at Giverny and the May Paris letter

I hear it all the time, "Oh visiting GIVERNY is on my 'bucket list'". Well cross it off and JUST GO!

The May Paris Letter comes complete with train and shuttle schedules.

Only 42 minutes from Paris. What are you waiting for?

Don't forget - take the underpass and visit the Lilly ponds and famous Monet green bridges.

I admit my favorite is Monet's kitchen.

You can take his stunning blue and egg-yolk yellow porcelain home from the gift shop if you're so inclined.

I ran to Giverny on overcast Wednesday and it was still beautiful. Afternoons and mid-week are less crowded than mornings and weekends.

My Monet doodles and

1st sketch struggles.

*Do not forget to buy some Normand Camembert or Neufchatel right from the source at a Vernon fromagerie or even at the local Monoprix.

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Mother’s Day, Giverny, Impressionnistes

I’m going to the Orsay Impressionnistes exhibit this morning.

 

Today a visit to Giverny to amuse you until Orsay report is ready

 

Giverny

Along with painting color blobs onsite you can't go wrong doing little 2" thumbnails at Giverny.

Try to arrive at the correct train station in Paris when heading off to Giverny. Somehow I got the bright idea to go to Gare Montparnasse. Luckily there was a direct Metro line to Saint Lazare.

Monet was kind enough to draw and paint Gare Saint Lazare as a friendly reminder..

Even the little bus trip from Vernon is bucolic...

Once off the bus just follow the crowds. Don't go exploring yet. That comes later.

Do look down as you're following the gang. The road is lined with loads if iris hither and thither...

A very nice poster that explains better than anything I've seen elsewhere what were Monet's intentions.

I found myself attracted to the less formal parts of the garden...

Where planting was in process..

Looking out the windows makes you feel you're stepping into Monet's shoes...

The walls are covered with Monet's enormous and influential Japanese woodblock collection. Hokosai's cat gazes out the window...

Can you find the cat in Monet's egg yolk yellow kitchen?

Looking much like the cat in the print but now taking a nap on a peony pink poof.
 

It's peony season at Monet's Maison by the way. Check the flowering calendar.

I took the less traveled path by chance over the lily ponds.

There are plenty of quiet empty places no matter how many visiters...such a spacious garden.

The gift shop is spacious too but not a Monet dish towel in sight...

This book on Giverny is gorgeous by Fabrice Moireau.
And you can take home your own mini version of Monet's chat.
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