Monet’s Lily Pond and the Last of the Summer Wine

Ah, summer! Its days are long, warm, often lazy, and always a welcome respite from the sharp chill of autumn and the bite of winter. It was in fact a hot day in August when I first saw the gardens of Monet’s home in Giverny. Claude Monet (1840-1926), the most commonly recognized member of the Impressionists (my apologies to Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, and the many others), lived on his property in Giverny for some 40 years, during which time he transformed the place into what looks like a personal paradise. It came, of course, with a lot of struggle, as the local community was none too fond of his rerouting the Epte river in order to make his famous lily ponds. When he built the large almost hangar-like studio in which he painted the huge panels of water lilies, he was even criticized for creating too modern a structure.

Still he persisted, through the many changes in his personal life (deaths of his first wife Camille and then after some years, his second wife, Alice), and even throughout World War I, when he could hear the canons of the battlefield from the confines of his gardens. The results are some 250 paintings and the 8 murals that now hang in the Orangerie in Paris, a gift, with his hopes for peace, to the nation of France upon the end of the war in 1918. However, it is more than an overwhelming contribution of beauty, it is also a master landscape painter saying, in the words of author Stephane Lambert, goodbye to the landscape.

Controversy has always followed these paintings since the turn of the 20th century ushered in Cubism and Abstraction. The whole project was sneered at for a long time by critics who thought the works were the result of the artistic stumbling of a half-blind old man past his prime. Monet, himself, would not allow the paintings to be shown until after his death, as no artist wants his greatest life work to be snickered at. I feel that was not because he doubted himself in any way, but because he knew that where he had gone in these paintings was beyond what people in his day would understand. However, with time the genius of them would be understood, and they would be seen as more than just pretty pictures. That had to do with the way he decentralized the landscape, taking away the familiar boundaries and making no one part more important than any other.

I first came across this concept of decentralization and Monet’s changing the ideas about what landscape is in a small, poetic little book by Belgian professor, Stephane Lambert, L’Adieu au paysage, les nymphéas de Claude Monet (Goodbye to Landscape, the Water Lilies of Claude Monet). Naturally, exploring these concepts leads to wonderful discoveries, as seen in the two paintings presented above. I must mention that the paintings chosen here are from before the severe cataract problem affected his eyesight in the period between 1912-1926. That eliminates the doddering, old, blind man theory as to why he painted these as he did.

In the first painting, Water Lily Pond – Green Harmonies (1899), we still see some of the familiar landmarks of painted scenes of landscape. The Japanese bridge is an important part of the composition, and catches the eye because it is a man-made item (though Monet’s garden is too – with nature’s help). It also serves as a way to help distinguish foreground from background, both of which are classical aspects of landscape. Yet there is a quality of the indistinct about the painting as everything is touched by green, be it yellow-green, leaf green, blue-violet green, or dark blackish green; almost all is green. The tonality of the greens creates the harmony in the painting, allowing us to distinguish certain things, the willows, the shrubs, the floating lily pads, without allowing a protracted gaze on any one thing other than the bridge. The bits of yellow-green in the trees and shrubs come forward as reflections of same in the open spaces of water between the floating groups of lilies. This adds to the harmony by uniting the area behind the bridge with that which is in front of it. The pinkish white lilies are counterpoints to these greens, making a subtle but necessary distinction in this accumulation of one color. The light that flows through the painting from the big willow through the waters of the pond, almost make this an earthly representation of the Milky Way, with the groups of floating lilies looking a bit like constellations.

Water Lily Pond (1904), the second painting chosen (above), has even more of this feel of things floating in space. One feels the depth in this watery space, with its darkness flowing like a curved channel through the painting. Oddly on the upper right there is a group of lilies that seem a bit higher than the others, as though they were bushes on the bank of the pond, except there is no visible bank. That landmark has been removed. We do still see some hint of trees dashed across the upper part of the painting, sufficing for background, but only just.

Finally, we have another iteration of this theme and here in Water Lily Pond 1907, (above) Monet’s only reference to the banks of the pond are the reflections of the trees. The big groups of lilies in their little constellations float in a space that is not as clearly water as what we see in the “foreground.” However, the shift between these two groups of lilies is a bit unreal and ethereal. Monet is removing the normal points of reference and putting the viewer into the atmosphere itself, floating somewhere in abstraction.

In fact it was the arrival of Abstract Expressionism that brought Monet back into favor, as finally it was seen what he was really working on. When one views an abstract work like a painting by Mark Rothko, it draws your consciousness into the painting as if there were no boundaries between you and the painting. And whose paintings began to move the viewer into the atmosphere of the painting by removing the normal known boundaries of landscape? Monet. His gigantic murals in those lovely, now daylight lit rooms in the Orangerie, were designed to totally immerse the viewer into the atmosphere of that floating world.

While it is wonderful to talk of Monet, it is even better to experience his work. Here you will find a video of the murals in the Orangerie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMCe07JSxl4. Monet was a great collector of Japanese prints, so it seems fitting that in Japan, there is a wonderful tribute to Monet in the form of a Monet water lily pond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ks5akyFsA

Monet’s paintings provide a lot to enjoy and a lot to think about, including how best to enjoy a lovely late summer afternoon in a beautiful garden. I have a few suggestions below.

Monet’s paintings are in Public Domain.

Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.

The Last of the Summer Wine

Well, I don’t want to encourage unbridled hedonism by saying “everything” is permitted, rather I just wish to convey the idea that not all the normal rules apply when enjoying wine in the summer. One such rule is not having white wine with meat. In winter, the rich quality of a good red and a meat dish satisfy our need for what is heavy and hearty. But it’s summer and it’s hot. That is when the light finish of a glass of Riesling is both refreshing and a good way to cleanse the palate. However, it seems that the all around favorite for summer is Sauvignon Blanc. It’s medium body makes it work well with just about any food. In that same category one also finds Pinot Grigio, which is quite refreshing, as it has a zesty quality provided by hints of lemon, lime, honeysuckle and green apple. Of course, one need not give up reds just because the weather is warm. A fat juicy burger tastes wonderful with a Grenache, because it is lacking in the harsh tannins of many other red wines.

Mixology

For more on the Xherry Kalimotxo, there is a great article in Bloomberg called, ” 12 Cocktails of Summer” www.bloomberg.com

That is only the beginning of the mixes one can make. The classiest, of course, is the Mimosa. Made of orange juice and champagne, in my book it is never wrong, as it is light, nutritious (orange juice) and always celebratory. After all, aren’t we all glad to be alive? Drink up! However, champagne is not the only wine for mixing, as wine spritzers, made simply with your favorite wine and club soda, are also lovely summer cocktails. Probably some of the most common mixes involve punches. Those can be sangria with diced fresh fruit added or perhaps a strawberry wine punch. For that, use one bottle of Moscato, a thawed 10 oz can of Bacardi Daiquiri Mix, 1/2 liter lemon-lime soda, and garnish with chilled fresh strawberries.

When looking for wines for all of these possibilities, do take a look at the types of wines offered at www.cellarswineclub.com. They have great selections and programs for every level of taste and budget. It is a great way to explore wine and have fun doing it.

What’s Old Is New Again!

Yes, they’re back. Wine coolers are back, maybe along with wide shoulder pads and big hair. At any rate, the brief history of wine coolers, which were all the rage in the ’80s, goes like this. They were rather like alcoholic soda pop, containing fruit flavors, fairly high ABV (alcohol by volume), and produced by such well-known companies as Seagrams. Of course once the ’90s arrived, the party was over mostly because of a major increase in tax on wine and ultimately beer, as cooler manufacturers switched to malt coolers.

However, though they are back, they come in new and improved versions, with lower ABV and artisan components like mint and yerba mate. The coolers also come in chic looking cans now instead of bottles. They are made with better quality wine and are less sweet. Several of the popular ones are Ramona, which has the taste of sparkling sweetened grapefruit juice, Blood Orange Spritz by Pampelonne Sparkling Wine Cocktails, which is a twist on the classic Campari Spritz, and Portland Sangria, which has a touch of rosemary.

So settle in for the last holiday weekend of the summer, appreciate your family and friends, your garden, your flowers, and maybe even take a look at some of Monet’s wonderful paintings of his lily ponds at Giverny.

Images of Monet’s Water Lily Pond paintings are in Public Domain. The picture of the Xherry Kalimotxo is from Bloomberg.com and the Moscato Wine Slushies photo is from DivasCanCook.com

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©marjorie vernelle 2019

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