When I think of Giverny, I think of the home of the painter Claude Monet. It is a small town in Normandy, about an hour from Paris, known for Monet's studio and his Japanese-inspired garden. His house is filled with Japanese woodblock prints. I first visited as a university student, in an art history class, and I have returned many times since.
Here, you can feel how deeply Japanese art influenced Monet and the other Impressionist painters.
This shade of green seems to say, "You are fine just as you are." The lush garden, the water lily leaves, the light reflected on the pond, Monet's paintings, the pottery in the house: all of it is, to me, the color of Giverny.
Those who visit will see how the influence of Japan helped usher in the Impressionist era, so important to the history of France. Giverny is the color that makes you feel you can live each day with confidence.
