" A story that will resonate with many readers, A Matter of Keeping is both inspiring and down to earth."
Midwest Book Review
Musee d'Orsay
At the Musee d'Orsay, one can view the works of Edourd, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Sisley and Picasso. Noted in particular were Van Gogh's Self Portrait 1889, Claude Monet's Nympheas Bleus, and Le Jardin de Monet a Giverny which was a beautiful field of blossoming and flaming lilac flowers.
The Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Pierre Renoir was full of imagery, detailed figures and activity of pure French style. In addition, La Danse a La Campagne 1883, always a favorite, combined the professionalism of the dancers and the pastel colors. However, most striking was Paul Cezanne's Dahleas dans un Grand Vase, which was detailed, engaging and colorful.
The splendor of the journey to Giverny was not overshadowed by the rain, the author drove through little medieval villages towards Normandy. Claude Monet's house was an exceptional and quaint country home of the Victorian era. The walls of the home were lined with his work and prints. It was filled with lovely Victorian furniture, a Victorian bed and spread, a chaise lounge, a cast iron stove, copper pots, a long dining table and French blue colored walls lined with Japanese art and his work. It was also explained that Impressionism was the mixture of the impact on the eye and the mind. The gardens were his subject matter and depicted all of the quaint and pastel scenes from his work. Claude Monet moved there in 1862 and rented the house for seven years until he bought it. He had two sons Jean and Michel. While the timepiece inspired those who visited, he also lived during the same period as the author's great great grandfathers, Deal Clarke Sr., Richard Culmer II (b. 1843) and great grandfather Alexander Sands Sr.(b. circa 1826), who arrived as the son of Scottish missionaries in what was then British territory Eleuthera, a family island.
Musee Marmottan Monet
A journey was made on foot to the quaint museum in La Muette in Paris. Notables in the exhibit were Nympheas et Agapanthus, La Printemps a Travers Les Branches and Promenade pres d'Argenteuil. The author also noted La Maison vue du Jardin aux Roses, Nympheas, et La Cabane a Trouville (1881) as inspiring and attractive. There were other artists exhibited such as Berthe Marisot and Gustave Caillebotte's Rue de Paris Temps de Pluie 1877.
Monet Exhibit, Les Galeries Nationales du
A magnificent exhibit of a large selection of all of the works from around the world. A full exhibit depicting the many beauties and stages of Claude Monet's work full of classic pastels and broad strokes. It started at the point of the artist's inception to his last years and showed the maturity of his style in many stages. The author noted the Nympheas Rouges, a spicier take on the Nympheas Bleus, which is more serene due to the calming blue versus the vibrant red. Le Jardin aux Iris Giverny was full of vibrant floral colors and vitality. Meanwhile, Monet's Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe depicted camaraderie and friendship as dressed people gathered on the garden lawn to share a luncheon picnic. La Plage a Sainte-Addresse was full of lively bright flowing blues and the Terrasse a Sainte-Addresse showed a slow day gazing upon the sea's horizon. Le Quai du Louvre is a more ambitious setting where the bustling and vibrant 18th century Parisian ville is portrayed in a sophisticated light with dainty quintessential French figures in the city amongst its regal background. Other paintings were the Promenade sur la Falaise, Pourville 1882, which showed flowing movement atop a cliff, and Antibes, Le Matin which depicted the most simple and beautiful sea view.