As the month of April warms the earth from winter’s freeze, we witness grass turning greener, a rise in animal births, and inevitably, somewhere alongside highways and countryside the color lavender appears in the blooms of wildflowers. Hence, why lavender’s popularity emerges every spring and has become a color associated with the season.

The Psychology of Lavender:

While purple brings our thoughts to masculine royalty, probably due to the expense of the color in ancient times; its softer cousin, lavender, evokes freshness, creativity, innocence, femininity, and lightheartedness. Lavender is used more often by artists in fantasy and surrealistic art to bring whimsy and mystery to a painting. Due to its feminine association, it is seen most often in feminine spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms in the home. The lighter, cooler shades are best for bedrooms as the warmer and darker ones create restlessness.

An artist who often used lavender in his work is Claude Monet.

 The Artist Claude Monet:

Claude Monet was a French painter who became known for an Impressionistic style of painting. The movement derived from painting nature, such as landscapes, plein air (outdoors utilizing natural light), as perceived by the artist. Simply put, an artist paints outside what they see at that moment with quick small strokes. The swift strokes capture the light before it shifts.  The uniqueness in Impressionism derives from what one sees standing close to the painting verses what you see from afar. Up close it appears as if it’s nonsensical layers of tiny strokes of colors but standing away from the painting, those tiny strokes cohesively create a clear image.

The movement received its name from one of Monet’s paintings titled, “Impression, Sunrise.”

Monet’s Beginnings:

Claude Monet (born Oscar-Claude Monet), was born on November 14, 1840, in Paris. At a young age he loved the outdoors and showed great promise and desire to become an artist. While his mother encouraged his interest, his father disapproved and preferred he grew up to be a businessman. He was baptized a Catholic but later claimed to adhere to atheism. Monet’s mother passed away when he was 16 years old, forcing him to move in with his wealthy aunt. From there, he studied art at the Académie Suisse in Paris, France, along with classmate Auguste Renoir. During his educational years, his landscapes and seascapes gained little praise.

  Monet claimed that Eugène Boudin (a French landscape painter) taught and encouraged him in art, often taking him on outdoor excursions to paint plein air. Boudin pushed Monet to develop his craft and techniques. He credited Boudin for his later success calling him his master teacher.

Monet’s Love:

In 1865, Monet met Camille Doncieux, his model for a painting; two years later she bore him a son named Jean. Monet’s father, outraged over the illicit relationship, cut Monet off financially forcing Monet to rely on his wealthy aunt. Monet loved Jean and claimed Camille his legal wife so his child would not be considered illegitimate, yet they didn’t officially marry until June of 1870. After they wed, their financial life was rarely stable. Monet struggled to sell his art and joined Renoir, Degas, Cezanne and others, to form an independent exhibition free of jury called Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers. Monet led landscape painting in the group. They held several exhibits while Monet received recognition from collectors and critics.

 In 1878, Camille gave birth to their second son after which she became seriously ill from uterine cancer, dying in 1879. Monet, heartbroken and financially unstable, stopped painting impressionistic works and moved towards using darker colors and themes, such as storms, in his work.

 He started an illicit relationship with Alice Hoschede’, a married mother of six children, and after gaining financial stability by selling artwork to collectors in the US, he moved her and her children to a rental home in the French countryside. The property had a barn studio, a pond, and gardens. They worked on the gardens until they provided the perfect subject for Monet’s paintings. Finally, he enjoyed painting in solitude and in nature. He enjoyed capturing the changing light and seasons. He married Alice Hoschede’ in 1892 after the death of her husband. Alice’s third daughter Suzanne would later become his favorite model since Camille’s passing.

As his popularity grew so did his wealth and his garden. He purchased the property and home in 1890 and built a larger studio and green house. He directed his gardener what to plant and where, as he continued using his garden for inspiration. The Lilly Pond itself appeared in over 250 of his oil paintings in the last 20 years of his life.

Alice died in 1911, as did his eldest son Jean in 1914. Their deaths left Monet depressed and he began losing his sight to cataracts. As his eyesight decreased Monet became more withdrawn and his paintings appeared darker as well. Finally, he subjected himself to cataract surgery, which seemed to help him see color again, but he struggled with his sight for the rest of his life.

Monet’s Death:

 Monet died of lung cancer on December 5^th, 1926. His life-long friend Clemenceau removed the black drape from his coffin exclaiming “No black for Monet.” He replaced it with a floral covering. Monet’s gardens are now a tourist attraction in Giverny, as they were donated to be used as such. Before he died, Monet claimed, “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” I’m sure many would agree.