Monet's Giverny : An Impressionist Colony

Library Journal

Giverny would likely have remained just another quaint French village had Claude Monet not settled there in 1883. From that date on, however, even the indifference of local villagers couldn't keep away the hordes of foreign artists who would season there to capture views of Giverny in such quantity as to make the town synonymous with impressionism. Gerdts (art history, CUNY) has compiled a good overview of the many artists who were influenced, at least to some degree, by Monet. The high-quality color illustrations enrich the text, though in many instance it is difficult to match illustrations with their corresponding captions. Another irritation is the placement of text notes at the end of the volume. Carol Lowrey's sidebars and selected bibliography are quite good. A worthy acquisition for all art collections.-- P. Steven Thomas, Sangamon State Univ., Springfield, Ill.