The most beautiful gardens of all times are the subject of a new art exhibition in London. From Claude Monet, the founding father of Impressionism, to Matisse, one of the most famous expressionists - all are on display.
Image: Courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York
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Monet to Matisse in Royal Academy: Art in Transition
In its latest exhibition, the London Royal Academy of Arts shows how the depiction of gardens has changed from the 1870s to the 1920s. We present the finest works from Monet to Matisse.
Image: 2015. Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence/(c) Succession H. Matisse/DACS 2015
A walk in the summer
One of the most important impressionist artists is Claude Monet, who often found inspiration in his own garden in Giverny, France. "Woman in the Garden" (1867) shows his cousin's wife, dressed in contemporary fashion and strolling through the sunlit garden.
Image: The State Hermitage Museum. Photography: Vladimir Terebenin
Parks as a source of inspiration
Auguste Renoir experienced a revival of green areas in Paris. Royal parks were reopened to the public, and normal citizens could afford small gardens. It was in the parks and gardens of Paris that Renoir found his inspiration - like here, when he portrayed his friend "Claude Monet, painting in his Garden at Argenteuil" (1873).
Image: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
From Moscow to Bavaria
Wassily Kandinsky is considered the father of abstract painting. In 1909 his partner Gabriele Münter bought a house in Murnau, on Lake Staffelsee in Bavaria. The painter himself was born in Moscow - so the neighbors called their home "Russian House." The couple loved their self-designed garden, and Kandinsky included it in his paintings more than once, such as in "Murnau. The Garden II" (1910).
Image: Merzbacher Kunststiftung
Under the Spanish sun
Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla is considered a "painter of light:" he knew how to portray the Mediterranean sunlight. Here he painted the Art Nouveau "Louis Comfort Tiffany" (1911). The viewer has the impression that Tiffany is taking a short break, sitting between the bright yellow, white and blue flowers of a Spanish garden.
Image: Courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York
Relaxing in the garden
"The painting looks just like a landscape, so also like a garden," says Ann Dumas, the curator of the London exhibition. Pierre Bonnard was inspired by daily life in Paris. In vibrant colors, he painted a young lady on a deck chair next to a richly-laid table in a garden and named it "Relaxation in the Garden" (1914).
Image: Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design/The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design/(c) ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2015
Painters and gardeners
Claude Monet was always fascinated by ornate reflections in the water. His "Water Lilies" (1914-15) are world-famous. He had water lilies in his own garden and was quite proud of them. "Apart from painting and gardening, there's nothing that I'm good at. My greatest masterpiece is my own garden," he said shortly before his death in 1926.
Image: Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon
The healing power of art
For Matisse, art was a way to portray inner visions and topics that preoccupied him emotionally. Contemporary art is mainly characterized by bright colors. "The Rose Marble Table" (1917) is one of the youngest exhibits at London's Royal Academy of Arts. The exhibition runs until 20 April.
Image: 2015. Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence/(c) Succession H. Matisse/DACS 2015
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Claude Monet, one of the most famous French artists of all time, once said: "Maybe I owe it to flowers that I became an artist." That is now the focus of a new exhibition.
"Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse" at the Royal Academy of Arts in London is an impressive example of how the artistic representation of green areas has evolved over the years. More than 120 works depict the ideal garden from the 1860s to the 1920s. Of them, 35 are by Claude Monet, who especially loved painting water lilies.
At the same time, the exhibition reveals a historical change in concept of art itself. Art transformed - from a precise representation of reality to the revelation of what was going on inside the artist. That is shown using the example of untouched nature.
The exhibition runs from January 30 until April 20.
