Gardens: A Space of My Own

Interesting but disjointed online lecture from the National Gallery using early pictures and late 19th century works to look at gardens in art.

Belle Smith led us through images of the Virgin in a garden from some of the earlier works in the National Gallery explaining their symbolism and the links to the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament. She introduced me to some images I didn’t know and I’d never realised before that the turf bench the Virgin often sits on was a real thing which a box was covered in turf and planted with flowers as a garden seat.

In the second part she looked at Monet’s garden at Giverny and the role it played in his art. She told us how he acquired and developed the garden and took us through a selection of the works made there. I had not realised before that part of his turning to garden painting in later life was to move away from more French nationalistic images such as haystacks and cathedrals following the Dreyfus Affair.

Both parts of this talk were fascinating and could have easier held a session on their own. Apart from the link of gardens I’m not sure they two sections sat that well together.

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