Monet's House: An Impressionistic Interior
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Architecture
Monet's House: An Impressionistic Interior Details
Amazon.com Review Not only was Claude Monet (1840-1926) a leading member of the impressionist movement, he was also, as this charming book reveals, a master interior decorator. A virtual room-by-room guided tour of Monet's beautiful and much-visited home at Giverny, this volume offers a vivid impression of daily life in the beloved house where the artist lived for 40 years with his second wife and their eight children. With its pink stucco walls, green shutters, and brightly painted original furniture, the house reveals Monet's brilliance and innovation as a colorist, which transcended his light-infused canvases to inform his choice of hues for wall paint and furniture. Each room is explored in its own chapter with glorious color photos: the dining room, painted in two shades of yellow and adorned with Japanese prints; the blue-and-white-tiled kitchen; the blue drawing room; the studio as it appeared in its heyday. Enlarged paint swatches of Monet's unique color combinations accompany each chapter so that readers can reproduce them in their own homes. Read more Language Notes Text: English (translation) Original Language: French Read more From the Inside Flap It is a summer's day in the late 1890s and Monet's house at Giverny is in its heyday. Outside, the pink stucco walls are punctuated by brilliant green shutters, and a new green balcony spans the length of the house. Inside, light streams through open windows, illuminating the vibrant, innovative colors Monet chose to color his rooms.
Here is a guided tour of the house where Monet lived for forty years with the woman who would become his second wife, Alice Hoschedé, and their eight children. The original furniture, much of it painted in vivid hues, is here as well as appointments--china, linen, and small antique collectibles--authentic to what is known of Monet's lifestyle and the period.
Here is the famous dining room painted in two shades of yellow, embellished with Japanese prints and blue-and-white china. Here is the kitchen with its blue- and-white Rouen tiles and copper pots, the fabled studio where Monet not only painted but entertained his family and friends, the blue drawing room where the family gathered for games, the bedrooms and dressing rooms with their simple and elegant appointments, the foyers, the épicerie, even the cellar where wine and provisions were stored. Paint dabs showing the colors used in major rooms allow the reader to duplicate them in their own homes.
Heide Michels opens a door onto Monet's private world, giving us a vivid impression of the family's day-to-day routine, including family activities and mealtime rituals. She describes Monet's love of the good life; good food, good wine, and the company of stimulating friends, among them Monet's fellow painters, Renoir and Caillebotte, and a circle of writers and critics.
Monet's House reveals the artist as a master decorator as innovative in his choice of wall and furniture colors as he was in his canvases. It also captures a vivid picture of domestic life as it was lived by one of the world's greatest Impressionist painters. Read more About the Author Guy Bouchet is a leading French photographer of interiors. His work appears in the Clarkson Potter Pierre Deux series, Italian Country, and Italian Style. He lives in Paris.Heide Michels, a journalist and stylist, is a frequent contributor to design magazines, including Côte Sud, Marie Claire Maison, and House and Garden. She lives in Paris. Read more
Reviews
This coffee-table-type book is just gorgeous. It’s a detailed look at Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, outside Paris, but also includes lots of interesting tidbits about Monet’s daily life and his family.We visited Paris several years ago and although I really wanted to visit Monet’s House outside Paris, we weren’t able to do so. I’m truly looking forward to hopefully visiting there soon. I would also love to incorporate some of his color palettes and ideas into our own home.