Claude Monet
This painting reflects Monet’s rediscovery of the Mediterranean landscape during his stay on the Italian Riviera in 1884. Although inspired by what he saw in Bordighera, the large canvas itself was completed later in his studio at Giverny, based on a smaller oil sketch painted directly on the spot. Monet originally conceived the work as a decorative panel for the drawing room of his friend Berthe Morisot. Writing to her sister Edma in early 1884, Morisot mentioned with delight that Monet had promised her a panel for her home.
The scene captures Monet’s fascination with the intense Mediterranean light and the luxuriant vegetation he encountered there. The view depicts the garden of Mr. Moreno, which Monet described enthusiastically as “an earthly paradise.” It was a place where plants from around the world seemed to grow freely in a dense, almost untended profusion, especially the many varieties of palm trees. The painting brings together several characteristic aspects of Monet’s work: its large, nearly square format suited the decorative ambitions of the piece, while the reworking in the studio of a motif first studied outdoors anticipates the serial approach that would later define many of his projects. At the same time, the exotic setting allowed Monet to revisit one of his favorite subjects—the garden—here transformed by the color and atmosphere of the Mediterranean.
I miss the Italian sun so much!
P.S. Did you know that Bordighera is a setting for the iconic Call Me By Your Name? Explore the beauty of Monet's Bordighera paintings!