Giverny, France: Monet's Garden

Claude Monet was the first and one of the best French impressionists of art. He didn't like the way that art was taught, and chose to break away and take his own, less literal approach. It revolutionized the subject.

Toward the second half of his career, Monet was financially comfortable enough to own some property in Giverny, now an hour outside of Paris. He had a house and a formal garden there, but the pond and surrounding landscape provided the subject matter for some of his most well-known work over 40 years. Monet often painted the same scene many times, showing the subtle differences that take place from year to year. The green bridge shown in the photo was a frequent subject for his work.

Monet's name is enough to bring plenty of visitors to the estate. My best suggestion would be to get there early in the morning, so you'll beat some of the crowds.

You can hear and see more about the facility in this video:



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