AMADEUS Story
Claude Monet and the light of the world
In nature, there’s always something new to discover. Or something familiar. A water lily pond, for example. Does that make you think of Monet? His Water Lilies series is one of his most famous works.
Monet spent most of his life in Normandy and set up his easel on countless locations throughout the region.
He painted on the cliffs by Le Havre as well as down on the beach, where a wave once washed over him. His painting was ruined - just like 500 others that he himself destroyed. But what remained of Monet is so much more. His 33 views of the Cathedral in Rouen, for example. The avenue of poplars that he painted 23 times at different times of the day. Or the 250 views of the water-lily pond in his garden in Giverny.
Monet’s parents would wonder why the whole world calls him “Claude.” They named him “Oscar.” Monet was born in 1840 in Paris, the city of light. At the time, no one could have guessed how much this light would set the course for his life. Not least his father, a colonial merchant, who expected his son to take over the family business. Due to its struggles, the family moved to Le Havre at the mouth of the Seine. Here, instead of sitting in a classroom, Monet found himself sitting on the cliffs and by the sea, where the light is really something special. Up until then he had only drawn caricatures, but here in Normandy he discovered his love of painting landscapes.
His garden in Giverny was a culmination of this love. It served as an inspiration for Monet for 30 years. The garden featured ornamental flowers, exotic plants, a water garden, and a Japanese bridge. It became his obsession. Soon Monet was not only painting this idyllic scene but also all of his inner self, all of the feelings he experienced while painting.
These feelings are still visible today in his paintings. And when you visit these places on your journey along the Seine where Monet was present with his brush and palette, you too can discover that special light that can only be found in Normandy. In natural landscapes, in Le Havre and Rouen - and in Giverny on Monet’s water-lily pond.
Discover the scenes that Monet's brush brought to life during your next Seine cruise:
