“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” Claude Monet
Nature, landscape and cultivated gardens have long been an inspiration to artists. Many artists began gardening and manipulating their surroundings in order to draw inspiration for their art. While gardens and the landscape are subject to outside forces, a piece of art freezes that perfect moment in time when a blossom is at peak, when the light captures the purest color of a petal, or when the last leaf of the season is falling. Lucky for us, we can visit these magnificent works of art – and in some cases, the gardens that inspired them!
Claude Monet is perhaps the most famous painter-gardener. When he settled in Giverny just outside Paris, Monet transformed his property into an elaborate garden designed specifically for painting. He planted vibrant beds of irises, poppies, tulips, peonies, and wisteria next to his charming house, arranging them for seasonal waves of color. In another area he created a water garden with bright green Japanese-style bridges covered in wisteria vines which became the centerpiece of many of his most iconic paintings. Monet’s garden was a living studio where he could observe and capture its ever-changing color, reflections, and mood. His home and garden have been restored and are open to the public. Not quite ready for a trip to France? Both the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Portland Museum of Art here in Maine house some of Monet’s beautiful paintings.
In the late nineteenth century, Celia Thaxter became famous not only for her poetry but also for the remarkable flower garden she created on Appledore Island off the coast of Maine. While living on this small, rocky island she transformed a harsh landscape into a vibrant garden filled with poppies, larkspur, nasturtiums, hollyhocks, and sweet peas. The garden was an inspiration to many artists and eventually became her inspiration to paint as well, thanks to her friendship with Boston painter Childe Hassam. Hassam loved her garden and painted it many times. During his visits to Appledore he encouraged Celia to try painting herself, offering guidance and informal instruction. Under his influence she developed a delicate, decorative style. Through their friendship Hassam gained a luminous subject for his paintings, while she found a creative outlet that allowed her to translate the beauty of her garden into paintings and hand-painted ceramics decorated with her cherished poppies and the colorful blossoms that adorned her garden paths. Why not plan a visit to the Isle of Shoals this summer? Appledore is where to see her restored garden. The Vaughn Cottage museum on Star Island houses a collection of her lovely ceramics.
We know Louis Comfort Tiffany for his stained glass and decorative arts, but he too cultivated remarkable gardens that influenced his designs. At his estate Laurelton Hall on Long Island, New York, Tiffany developed gardens filled with exotic plants and flowering trees collected from around the world which inspired the motifs seen in his lamps, windows and mosaics. His estate was a total work of art, integrating architecture, interior decoration, and landscape design. Among the most celebrated features was the Daffodil Terrace, a covered garden room supported by marble columns topped with sculpted glass daffodils. Unfortunately, Laurelton Hall was lost to fire many years ago. However, many architectural elements and decorative objects were salvaged, including the Daffodil Terrace, and are displayed at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida. Of course, samples of his magnificent creations can be seen in art museums throughout New England and beyond. While checking them out, try to imagine the garden and the plantings that inspired the art.
For these artists and many others, gardens were creative environments to study light, color, and growth. Whether through Monet’s reflective lily ponds, Thaxter’s sunlit flower beds, or Tiffany’s botanical patterns, each artist transformed the beauty of cultivated landscapes into enduring works of art. And they are ours to enjoy for all time.
