Monday, November 22, 2010

Still Enjoying Monet


I found a treasure when I found this book entitled "Monet's Table, The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet (Claire Joyes and Jean-Bernanard Naudin.)


Not only did Claude Monet know how to create delightful art on a canvas, he knew what made great art in a dining room -- good food, lovely table settings, and a host of congenial friends with which to share it all.

"They came to dine in almost ritual form, first visiting Monet's studio and the greenhouses, then having lunch at 11:30 (the time the family always dined, to enable Monet to make the most of the afternoon light). Tea would later be served under the lime trees or near the pond." Excerpt from front cover

Of course these happy times came a long time later in his career. There is a story about Monet and his struggling artist friends -- they all knew how to eat beans for days on end, so they could scrape enough coins together to buy paints and canvas for their ever-hungry artistic muse.

See the blue-trimmed yellow dishes in the bottom corner of the photo below? This pic shows a artistically-laid table in Monet's dining room.


Now... just imagine the excitement my former housemate and I experienced years ago, when we stumbled upon the same pattern of dishes in a local department store.

We snapped them up for our own entertaining, and though our table might not have included such auspicious guests as Monet's, those blue-rimmed dishes tell their own tales of good food, pretty table settings, and congenial company. Mmm... maybe it was the dishes!

Don't you just love it when you go to someone's house for dinner and they've created a beautiful table for the occasion? It adds to the whole pleasure of eating. Monet knew that. Maybe that's one reason why I love him -- he seemed to know that our lives are enhanced when every area is touched by beauty.

Catch a glimpse of it today...
 Brenda




12 comments:

  1. This sounds like a wonderful book! I am intrigued! Why do people insist on sitting in front of the TV to eat?? So uncivilized!

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  2. Well, I guess I should be thinking more about my Thanksgiving table.
    Though I enjoy the simple and noy so much the fancy.

    The yellow dihes ARE beautiful.

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  3. so many in the busyness of modern life use paper plates these days...alas-LOL!

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  4. Learned something new today...had no idea about Monet's dining room or dishes. What a blessed find with the dishes...yellow and blue is such a terrific color combination.

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  5. Brenda, Thanks for telling us about this book. My youngest daughter loves Monet and this cookbook would make a wonderful Christmas present!

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  6. Wow, rather interesting article. Where will I get that RSS?

    Jane Meetington
    spy store

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  7. Hi Brenda,

    I am now on the lookout for that book. It stands to reason that he would enjoy good food, and a beautifully set table.

    Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

    xoxo

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  8. Thanks for letting us have a glimpse of Monet's table setting and eating schedules. It really looks so lovely and enticing atmosphere for a great meal.

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  9. Thanks for letting us have a glimpse of Monet's home table setting. It looks lovely and enticing for a great meal.

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  10. Greetings,

    This is a message for the webmaster/admin here at beautiful.wordfromhome.com.

    May I use some of the information from your blog post above if I provide a link back to your site?

    Thanks,
    Charlie

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  11. What a fun find for you to find those yellow dishes. You are right, it is always good to find others that appreciate the same beauty and creativity that you do. Monet certainly was a talented man and has shared so much with the world then and now. I will have to keep my eyes open for that book.

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  12. I must admit, I don't create lovely dinner tables like this, but you're right - it is such a pleasure to eat when such lengths have been gone to make the meal a special occassion! :-)

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To My Beautiful Readers,

Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same. ~ Franz Peter Schubert

Thank you so much for leaving your 'footprint' here in my comment box. I do appreciate you taking a moment to share your thoughts today.

Brenda xo