In the Gardens of Impressionism

With the arrival of spring, the plants awaken and then entice us with their passionate reproductive colors and delight us with a fantasia of silhouettes and shapes that constantly transmute with shifting atmospheres and light. In this beautiful collection of 135 full color reproductions among the almost 300 illustrations filling the story of the Impressionistic painters of the late 1800’s. Captured are some of the garden paintings of Renoir, Monet, Morisot, Manet, Pisarro, Courbet, Delacroix, Cassatt and many other familiar and not so familiar names of that period. Chapters cover traditional flowers along with exotic imports from Africa and the East, along with the gardening practices of the period. Horticulture and the history of gardens and the regard for floriculture is woven into the stories of the development of this genre. Short biographies of the painters reflect their approach to the art. Of course, Monet’s Giverny gardens and the famous Waterlilies entrance the viewer. The form and color of the Impressionist’s floral renderings influenced the cultural, political, and social fabric of its time. It is a joy to view the floral music emanating from this enchanting display, showing how nature impacts on ambient moods. This is a collector’s item.