For instance, I bet you didn't know that when Manet applied for jurying for Lunch on the Grass his work was called disgusting and pornographic. Why? Because despite hundreds of years of naked women in every possible position being lauded and as highly artistic and not the least bit pornographic, according to our guide, Manet's use of an intelligent looking model who looked the viewer right in the face, and was very realistically depicted, with all her normal woman foibles, was too much for the art critics and the sensibilities of those who were in the know....
Well, that was only one fact of a really interesting talk. It was so interesting in fact, that we decided it was a good weekend to venture out to the home of Claude Monet, Giverny, to see the source of these amazing paintings.
It was the early spring bloom, which only whetted my appetite to see these gardens many more times, but Monet was extremely skillful in creating his environment, and I was happy to see that he wrote that his garden was actually his greatest accomplishment and passion. I wholeheartedly agree.
We didn't stop at Giverny, there is a town nearby called Vernon that is very interesting, and in their 800-year-old church there are some really great statues.
Staying with the artists of Musée d'Orsay though, we went to Auvers-sur-Oise, the town where Vincent Van Gogh died and is buried. It is very picturesque and has tried to preserve everything that is demonstrated in Van Gogh's paintings, like the City Hall (Mairie) and the Cathedral. Do a search on Vincent's great paintings.
The original oil painting of this shot is in Musée d'Orsay. The Van Gogh brothers are also buried in the town cemetary, side by side.
There was a third day of activities, too, but that story is for another day. Just take my advice, get the guided tour.
