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Photographer in Paris - Charlotte Moss visits the City of Light - part 5 of 1 2 3 4 5

Published 01/06/2015

Fondation Claude Monet
Not strictly in the city of Paris, but rent a car and take a trip out to Giveny in the French countryside. It's just over an hour's drive but the reward is to see the way that Claude Monet lived and worked. Monet approached the same subjects over and over again, systematically exploring different ways to see and represent subjects such as the water lilies. Exploring his house and gardens, including the famous water lily ponds, give a real insight into this creative genius and his unique approach.

The house contains Monet's vast collection of Japanese Ukio-e woodblock prints as well as paintings from friends but the real gem for anyone interested in historical photography are the pictures informally scattered around the place showing the artist working in his garden.

For anyone interested in producing a series of work, be it fine art or documentary, this is a fantastic opportunity to see how other artists have tackled similar problems. It might even inspire those considering entering using nature as their qualification panel theme to work on their own garden space - it certainly inspired me to plant a garden on my return! If you can't get out to Paris but you're interested in Monet, the National Gallery in London has a display highlighting their collection of Monet's Giverny pictures which is well worth seeing.

Memorial de la Shoah
This was a difficult one; I didn't know if I should include it or not. You see this article is supposed to be about finding art and photographic inspiration in other cities so a holocaust memorial appears a strange one to include. The museum itself is worth a visit if you're interested in modern European history at all but it's the memorial that moved me and provided some inspiration for future image making. An underground chamber with a large Shield of David sculpture is lit from above with a single shaft of light. As well as reflecting on the Shoah take some time to consider how powerful the use of light can be. No words I write here can prepare you for the intensity of emotion as you round the corner and enter the room - you simply must see it for yourself.

And Finally Charlotte assures me that she has not bought a selfie stick and neither had this couple who were obviously making a study of the Feast at Cana. Ed

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1st Published 01/06/2015
last update 21/07/2022 08:46:25

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