Well, it would be lovely if I could say I have a gorgeous garden, but I hardly think it qualifies!
However, while mine doesn't qualify, this one certainly does!
Can you guess which famous garden this is or who it belonged to?
Well, this garden is of course very famous and belonged to the one and only Claude Monet.
In 1893, ten years after his arrival at Giverny, Monet bought a piece of land adjacent to his property on the other side of the railway.
This land was crossed by a small brook, the Ru, which ultimately could be traced back to the Seine River. With the support of the prefecture, Monet had his first small pond dug. Unfortunately, his less fortunate neighbours (peasants) were opposed to Monet's plans, to no avail however. The story goes, that they were afraid he was going to plant strange plants that would poison the water. It seems there was a fair amount of resistance to his application for the second pond, however, he prevailed in the end and the pond was enlarged to its present-day size. The water garden is full of asymmetries and curves, reflections and delightful colours. Much of Monet's inspiration for his gardens came from gardens in the Japanese prints that he avidly collected.
By 1887, Monet was no longer alone in Giverny. Many foreign artists, including several Americans, had settled in the area.
Among those seduced by the charm of Giverny was John Singer Sargent. In fact, many of these artists kept returning for almost 30 years. During that period of time, over 100 artists visited the village to immerse themselves in the impressions of light, air and colour.
For his part, Monet considered most of these visitors to be a nuisance and endeavoured to have little contact with them.
He was happy to stay on his own property, exploring the delights of his water garden and Japanese bridge.
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