Did Monet’s cataracts affect his artistic vision?
Claude Monet is back in the news. He is one of several artists featured in a series of how creativity may be influenced by health.
The researchers suspect Van Gogh may have suffered from bipolar disease causing his manic-depression.
In Monet’s case, they argue his painting take on the unfocused look as a result of his cataracts. As he aged and his cataracts worsened, his paintings become less representation and more impressionistic. Sounds logical to me.
Bob and I visited Monet’s gardens in Giverny. The gardens were well manicured but the site is smaller than we thought it would be. When our bus tour arrived in Giverny, Bob groaned at the site of at least 10 other tour buses parked by Monet’s home.
Your tour around the garden proceeds in a clockwise and orderly fashion. Docents are stationed at regular intervals to ensure that you do not stray from the roped off pathways.
The path around the pond is so narrow we literally had to proceed single file. There were several “pull-outs” to take pictures. Not surprisingly, many of my pictures echo the exact area Monet painted.
After visiting the gardens, the next day we went to the Musee d’Orsay where many of Monet’s paintings are exhibited. Walking into the Monet exhibit was exhilarating. After visiting the gardens and then to see the painting was breathtaking.
Giverny Gardens: Claude Monet’s garden Impressionist garden can be found HERE.
In terms of garden landscape, Monet was far ahead of his time. For a list of the type of flowers and plants he used in the garden GO HERE.
Last 5 posts in JOURNAL
- Today I began a new journey - November 19th, 2008
- A day to reflect - November 11th, 2008
- Siblings together over five decades - November 8th, 2008
- 102 Canadian women will die this week - October 3rd, 2008
- Room with a view - September 27th, 2008