2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the Impressionist movement and the main event will be the Normandy Impressionist Art Festival which runs from 22 March to 22 September.
Some Impressionist painters with Normandie in their hearts are
Claude monet (1840-1926)
Eugène-Louis Boudin (1824-1898)
Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)
For our overseas visitors I’ll be using the Y spelling of Normandy from now on –
Inspired by the unique light, beauty and mystery of Normandy, the Impressionist painters set up their easels throughout the region: from the Seine estuary, on the quayside in Honfleur, along the coast, in Rouen’s old town and of course, in the village of Giverny, the home of Monet.
A tribute to an art movement that was ahead of its time, the 5th edition of the Normandy Impressionist Festival will celebrate art in all its forms through a diverse six‑month programme catering to all ages and tastes, while it will mainly be focusing on the Impressionist Movement in France it will also feature numerous Normandy cultural events, Normandy art events, Impressionist and contemporary exhibitions, performing arts, concerts, light shows, street art, international conferences, and much more.
Art will be all about Normandy this year as you’ll be treated to Impressionist landscapes in Normandy, famous Impressionist paintings in Normandy, Artists in Normandy and Famous Impressionist paintings in Normandy.
2024 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
• David Hockney: Normandism at the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum) in Rouen from 22 March to 22 September
• Robert Wilson’s Cathedral of Light on the facade of Rouen Cathedral from 24 May to end September
• Impressionism and the Sea at the Musée des Impressionnismes in Giverny from 29 March to 30 June
• Whistler, the Butterfly Effect at the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum) in Rouen from 24 May to 24 July
• Gwen John exhibition at the Château-Musée in Dieppe from end June to end September
BAYEUX
Just a short drive from Le Pressoir, the MAHB museum of art and history is located inside the former episcopal palace dating from the 11th to 16th centuries, next to Bayeux cathedral in the heart of the historic town centre. Its exceptional collections cover all aspects of European artistic endeavour, from Prehistory to the 20th century, against the background of story of the town itself.
French Impressionist, Gustave Caillebotte was a member and patron of the Impressionists, although he painted in a more realistic manner than many others in the group and you can view some of his work at the MAHB –
https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/mahb-museum-of-art-and-history-bayeux/the-mahb-collections/key-works/portraits-a-la-campagne-caillebotte/
GIVERNY
For over 40 years, Claude Monet tended to his gardens at his home in Giverny to realise his artistic ideas and produce some of his greatest works of art. Over 300 paintings were dedicated to the theme of water lilies alone!
Although Giverny is about 2 hrs from Le Pressoir it is well worth a day trip.
We’ve been and can highly recommend it. Obviously we’re all familiar with the scenes of the waterlilies ponds and the gardens don’t disappoint, they’re stunning but what surprised me was how beautiful and interesting the house was. You start your tour in the little blue lounge which is bright and fresh with it’s bright cyan blues and pops of lemon yellow, then you enter, what for me was the best room – Monet’s studio, I could instantly picture him there with his artist friends, creating the most beautiful pieces of art. Monet stored the paintings he didn’t want to sell in this studio, to keep a record of the stages of his career. I don’t feel like much has changed – the furniture is still authentic, as well as the objects decorating the room and I loved being there as it looks as if Monet had just left it.
https://fondation-monet.com/en/
HONFLEUR
Explore Honfleur through the eyes of acclaimed painters, like Bonington, Turner, Daubigny or Eugène Boudin (an Honfleur native) who were inspired by the pretty town, its vast skies, the changing light and the reflection of the old houses in the water, blending in with sailing boats in motion.
You can visit the Eugene Boudin Museum on Place Erik Satie and admire a collection of his 19th-century drawings and oil paintings as well as works by other painters of the Honfleur School.
All year round, the old port draws amateur artists with sketchbooks, painters setting up their easels on both quays or photographers for the irresistible view and the charming nautical décor. Below is my little ‘impressionist’ take on the scene 👩🏻🎨
Back in 1860, Boudin began to gather around him his painter friends at the Ferme Saint-Siméon on the hill just outside Honfleur, from where they would paint the Seine estuary. These artists included Monet, Johan Jongkind and Gustave Courbet.
If you’d like to discover your inner artist during your stay in Normandie then dive into the world of Impressionism in the bucolic setting of the gardens of la Ferme Saint Simeon like Boudin did and take part in an open air painting workshop led by a talented local artist.
Check out this link for all the lovely details –
https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/outdoor-painting-class-at-la-ferme-saint-simeon
and take a peep here –
https://youtu.be/P__sR-46unA
CREATE YOUR OWN ART AT LE PRESSOIR
If you’d like something a little less high brow and nearer to Le Pressoir then you can join Shu for an afternoon of splishing paint around –
“We can either go to a spot in the forest I know and sketch the beautiful Abbey amongst the contemporary sculptures and then come back to Le Pressoir to add the watercolours or we can go to the dunes behind Omaha Beach and make a rough sketch and then come back to Le Pressoir and paint your own canvas”
Please PM Shu for all the details, watercolour pads and paints or acrylics and canvas will be included.
GARDEN IMPRESSIONS
Whilst not officially part of the festival, a trip to the garden at Étretat will leave a lasting impression on you. Its along the Normandy Coast from Le Pressoir and overlooks the chalk cliffs of the Alabaster Coast.
Claude Monet, for his part, has represented the cliffs of Étretat on more than 80 canvases!
At the beginning of the 20th century, Parisians from the artistic circles started exploring Normandy, and more specifically Étretat, as a destination for summer residencies. In 1905, French actress Madame Thébault had her villa built on the windy Amont cliff. Inspired by the place where so many artists painted (from Claude Monet to Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot), she decided to create a garden, the first to offer such a breathtaking view on La Manche and the cliffs of Étretat. So from those original impressionist artists to now, these amazing gardens certainly make an impression.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpzG7XxTmX8
Back to the festival – a full programme of events can be found here –
https://www.normandie-impressionniste.fr/fr/programme
A little clip of Impressionism in Normandy –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIxL9OPomGg
And finally, here are the must-see sites in Normandie where the Impressionists set up their easels, including the Alabaster Coast and along the River Seine, as well as all of the art museums across the region –
https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/discover/culture/impressionism/impressionism-must-sees/