Monet at Giverny

About the Class

This course explores Monet’s extraordinary final decades at his home and gardens in Giverny, a small town in the Normandy region of France, where he created some of the most iconic paintings of the modern era. We will begin with an overview of the estate’s expansive gardens, designed by Monet himself, which stretch over seven acres and include Japanese-inspired water elements. We’ll explore how these natural surroundings became a kind of living studio for Monet, as his garden designs became almost synonymous with his painting practice. We’ll concentrate especially on the evolution of the Water Lilies series, Monet’s enormous, tour-de-force paintings that immerse the viewer in a world of light, color, and reflection, and transform nature into a kind of abstract, ethereal space.

The class is online-only. More about online classes.

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Barnes classes will:

• Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
• Improve your ability to communicate about art.
• Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

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What Our Students Say

“The instructor is a gifted individual who is able to [engage] with all different kinds of learners and motivate us to want to learn more, see more, and experience more. I would highly recommend any course by this instructor.” —Collection Concentration: Medieval Modern with Kaelin Jewell

“Martha Lucy knows how to balance her lecture with fact, excellent painting selections, and inclusion of the students.” —The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec with Martha Lucy

“The best class to understand the elements of art. The instructor’s expertise and warmth, along with the excellent discussions with my classmates, made it a truly wonderful experience.” —The Elements of Art with William Perthes

“This class offered rich insight into Picasso and his contemporaries—the gallery scene, turn-of-the-century politics, Catalan culture, along with Picasso’s approach to composition and contemporary European culture. It was so informative.” —Picasso in Focus: New Discoveries at the Barnes with Christine Romano and Naina Saligram

“Caterina loves the material she presents and infuses all her classes—of which I have taken many—with that infectious enthusiasm.” —Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art with Caterina Pierre