Impressionist Roses
Dazzler
the December 1999 issue of “Nouveau” magazine (nouv...@bellatlantic.net). Even
though he’s singing his own praises, the book sounds like it might be
interesting... here are some excerpts from his review:
------- quote -------
December may seem like an odd time of year to be discussing roses, but I can’t
resist [that part in particular cracks me up] describing a new book I have
authored, and which is in the bookstores in time for Christmas sales, titled
“Impressionist Roses” (Friedman/Fairfax)...
The focus of the book is roses that were either planted or painted by the great
French Impressionist artists, especially Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Fantin-Latour
and Calliebotte...
At the art museum of Princeton University, I found eleven reference books on the
least-known of the Impressionist circle, Fantin-Latour... One book said he died
in his Paris apartment, while another said he died at a weekend cottage, Croix
Fantin, in the village of Bure, where he cultivated a rose garden! Burning with
curiousity, I set out for Bure and in the churchyard found his grave... I began
driving down narrow winding country roads looking for clues to his cottage, when
I spotted a shiny brass cross sticking through a hedge. I pulled in the driveway
to find a family having lunch on the terrace of a beautiful brick-and-timber
house covered in Boston ivy. The owners were having a family reunion with three
grown children and their spouses, and they confirmed that yes, indeed, this had
been the country home of Fantin-Latour; and yes, he had died in the rose garden
which stretched beyond the terrace -- an area now mostly devoted to lawn. He had
felt ill while taking lunch on the terrace, walked into the garden and collapsed
amongst his roses!
... Fantin-Latour was little-known in France at the time of his death, for his
entire output of paintings -- numbering some 700 floral still lifes -- was taken
every year for sale to English art patrons. He was so well respected in England
for his paintings of roses that an English nurseryman named a rose for him,
‘Fantin-Latour’. A large, pale-pink shrub rose, it has a swirling petal pattern
and a wonderful fruity fragrance...
------------- end of quote --------
Fell went on to say that “Impressionist Roses” is available locally at Kenny’s
Bookstore in Doylestown. But when I went down there this morning to find it,
nobody had heard of it. (Fell is a local.)
zuni
>The focus of the book is roses that were either planted or painted by the great
>French Impressionist artists, especially Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Fantin-Latour
>and Calliebotte...
that's really interesting about Calleboite. I don't know which seems more out of
character: painting roses or growing them. (this was a man who specialized in
urban scenes and depictions of working class people. quite a revolutionary in
his own way, in his day.) a rose ramble in the French countryside sounds like a
perfect vacation.
side note: i haven't yet been able to make it out to Giverny (ney, whatever),
but I would bring a jaundiced eye to such a public project. I know for a fact
the gardeners have expanded on the non-rosy plantings from Monet's lifetime (
perhaps working from his sketches. he had this interesting way of plotting
things by color--not surprisingly. it's just not a typical way to do a garden
plan).
deborah
San Francisco Bay area, on the Carquinez Straits
zuni
make that "Callebotte, Gustav"
Frances Smithson
for letting us know about it. It sounds very interesting. And what a
concept, reviewing your own book!
Dazzler wrote:
>
> Derek Fell, the photographer and author, wrote a review of his latest book in
> the December 1999 issue of “Nouveau” magazine (nouv...@bellatlantic.net). Even
> though he’s singing his own praises, the book sounds like it might be
> interesting... here are some excerpts from his review:
>
> ------- quote -------
>
> December may seem like an odd time of year to be discussing roses, but I can’t
> resist [that part in particular cracks me up] describing a new book I have
> authored, and which is in the bookstores in time for Christmas sales, titled
> “Impressionist Roses” (Friedman/Fairfax)...
>
> The focus of the book is roses that were either planted or painted by the great
> French Impressionist artists, especially Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Fantin-Latour
> and Calliebotte...
>
Dazzler
>
>I checked Amazon and the book is available there, for $22.00. Thanks
>for letting us know about it. It sounds very interesting. And what a
hahaha I know... when I went to our local place to find the book, I told the
manager there about the article (she hadn't seen it)... she also didn't have the
book so I ordered a copy through Amazon, too... (what did we do before Amazon?
BOB! contain yourself!)... have you tried http://www.alapage.com... Testu and
Joyaux, among others, are available through them...