Living in the Parisian suburbs, firstly at Argenteuil and then Vetheuil, Monet would return to Normandy to paint over the summer months. A favourite spot was Etretat, a fishing village and resort on the Normandy coast. In 1883 Monet painted twenty views of the extraordinary cliff formations: the Porte d’Aval, the Porte d’Amont, and the Manneporte. During the same year Monet discovered Giverny, where he lived and painted for 43 years. Able to purchase the property in 1890, he began to develop the gardens creating the Japanese pond, with its iconic bridge, a motif that came to dominate his later paintings. His famous series, the Haystacks, Poplars and Rouen Cathedral were all painted in Normandy during the 1890s. While the young Monet experimented with painting directly from nature, the mature artist tried to catch both light and atmosphere by painting the same motif at dawn through to dusk. 

Tickets:  £8.50 for this lecture or £55 for the whole programme.

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