Painting the Modern Garden - Monet to Matisse

“Mesmerizing." ~ The Herbarium Project

“The film adds detailed views of the canvases, tours of otherwise inaccessible artist’s gardens and interviews with modern artists." ~ Homes and Antiques

For many great artists the garden has long been considered a desirable subject for the expression of colour, light and atmosphere. Claude Monet is perhaps the most well-known painter of gardens but other greats such as Van Gogh, Pissarro, Matisse and Sargent all viewed the garden as a meaningful focus for their talents. The work of these great artists, along with many others, feature in a major 2016 exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ from The Royal Academy, London.

This dazzling film takes a magical journey from the gallery to the gardens, to Giverny and Seebüll and other glorious grounds favoured by artists. Here we discover how early twentieth century artists designed and cultivated their own gardens to explore contemporary utopian ideas and motifs of colour and form. Monet said, ‘Apart from painting and gardening, I’m no good at anything’.

For lovers of art or lovers of gardens, this is an ideal film.

"Time and space dissolve in pure shimmering light and colour." The Telegraph ****

"A show that feels as intellectually invigorating as it is visually delightful." The Times ****

From the exhibition walls to the wonder and beauty of artists’ gardens like Giverny and Seebüll, the film takes a magical and widely traveled journey to discover how different contemporaries of Monet built and cultivated modern gardens to explore expressive motifs, abstract color, decorative design and utopian ideas. Guided by passionate curators, artists and garden enthusiasts, this remarkable collection of Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and avant-garde artists of the early twentieth century will reveal the rise of the modern garden in popular culture and the public’s enduring fascination with gardens today. Long considered spaces for expressing color, light and atmosphere, the garden has occupied the creative minds of some of the worlds greatest artists. As Monet said, ‘Apart from painting and gardening, I’m no good at anything.’ For lovers of art or lovers of gardens, this is an ideal film.