46. Exhibition On Screen: Painting The Modern Garden – Monet To Matisse; movie review

 

EXHIBITION ON SCREEN: PAINTING THE MODERN GARDEN – MONET TO MATISSE

Cert U

93 mins

BBFC advice: Contains no material likely to harm or offend

In 2016, The Royal Academy of Arts ran a three-month exhibition dedicated to paintings of gardens from the early 1860s and 1920s.

To those like me who are not experts in the field, that might have seemed a dull premise.

However, it was a sold-out success and inspired this thorough, complementary film by David Bickerstaff.

In turn, this documentary might have even prompted me to reach for a trowel and fork and work on our garden.

The principal painter of 19th and early 20th-century gardens was Claude Monet, who cultivated a glorious patch in Giverny, northwest of Paris.

The famous lily pond and the surrounding paths overflowing with colour are still open today.

It makes sense that artists and gardeners have similar passionate views of nature and modern-day experts in both fields give the documentary their opinions on the works of Monet, Matisse and others such as Van Gogh, Pissarro and Sargent.

There are also some biographical details of Monet, down to his argument for planning permission for the now-famous ponds.

It reflects him as an imposing figure who struck fear into many of those around him - especially when the light in his garden didn't meet the quality required for him to paint.

I have no doubt that art historians will dissect the subject with a more educated verve than me.

However, my lack of specialist knowledge didn't prevent my enjoyment of beauty and the motivation of great artists.

Reasons to watch: Great beauty on canvas and in the garden

Reasons to avoid: A tad academic

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: On canvas

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? The job of one of Monet's six gardeners was  was to paddle a boat onto his lily pond each morning, washing and dusting each pad. Once the lilies were clean, Monet began painting them, trying to capture what he saw as the light reflected off the water.

The final word. Claude Monet: "Gardening was something I learned in my youth when I was unhappy. I perhaps owe it to flowers that I became a painter."

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