Beautiful Paintings - The White Water Lilies by Claude Monet

In 1893 Monet had bought a strip of marshland across the road from his house and flower garden, through which flowed a tributary of the River Epte. By diverting this stream, he began to construct a waterlily garden. Soon weeping willows, iris, and bamboo grew around a free-form pool, clusters of lily pads and blossoms floated on the quiet water, and a Japanese bridge closed the composition at one end. By 1900 this unique product of Monet’s imagination (for his Impressionism had become more subjective) was in itself a major work of environmental art—an exotic lotusland within which he was to meditate and paint for almost 30 years. The first canvases he created depicting lilies, water, and the Japanese bridge were only about one square yard, but their unprecedented opeads and blossoms floating on the quiet water, and the Japanese bridge closing the composition at one end, have an almost hypnotic effect. This picture and the others depicting his garden go on to inspire the imagination of artists and gardeners as well as those of us who just enjoy the fruit of their labours

The picture is in Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

Comments

In praise of older women – no thank you!

Robert Graves (Th e White Goddess ) and the neo-pagans have a lot to answer for with their triple Goddess. We seem to have imbibed that whole "maiden-mother-crone" schema. It brings us all those stereotypes that I believe are best avoided – the girl who must be beautiful, the woman who must be a mother and, after a certain age, all that is left to us is our wisdom! These are gender roles that have existed for thousands of years! I tell you now, I don’t intend to be a crone – even one honoured for her wisdom! In reality, the most famous of the ancient Celtic triple Goddesses is Brigit, the daughter of the Dagda (Father God), often called "the poetess." The story goes that there were three of Brigits, all sisters--Brigit the Poetess, Brigit the Smith and Brigit the Doctor--patrons of their respective skills. But they are all the same age. Brigit’s multiplicity implies that she is a master of many arts – all valuable. Having said that, I am getting very tired of having...

Asking the Wrong Question

Asking the Wrong Question Asking the wrong question. Have you ever asked yourself a question, only to realize that it was the wrong question? Maybe you were trying to solve a problem, but the question you asked led you down a rabbit hole of irrelevant information. Or maybe you were trying to make a decision, but the question you asked only confused you more. Whatever the case may be, asking the wrong question can be a costly mistake. It can waste your time, lead you down the wrong path, and ultimately prevent you from achieving your goals. So how can you avoid asking the wrong question? Here are a few tips: 1. Be clear about what you want to know. What is your goal? What information are you trying to find? Once you know what you want, you can start to formulate the right questions. 2. Avoid asking leading questions. Leading questions are those that suggest a particular answer. For example, asking "Don't you think that X is a good idea?" is a leading question, because it s...

Peacocks are Magical

Peacocks are Magical Peacocks are beautiful birds with stunning plumage that has been admired for centuries. They are also associated with some very special, mythological and spiritual meanings. In Greek mythology, the peacock was sacred to Hera, the queen of the gods. Hera was known for her vanity, and she was said to have been given the peacock by Zeus as a gift. The peacock's tail feathers were said to represent Hera's eyes, and they were also seen as a symbol of immortality. In Hinduism, the peacock is sacred to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Lakshmi is often depicted sitting on a peacock, and the bird is seen as a symbol of her grace and beauty. The peacock's tail feathers are also said to represent the petals of a lotus flower, which is a symbol of enlightenment. In Buddhism, the peacock is a symbol of wisdom and compassion. The bird's ability to shed its old feathers and grow new ones is seen as a metaphor for the Buddhist path to en...

The Writing Wolf

Search This Blog