Shore, Stephen. The Gardens at Giverny: A View of Monet's World by Stephen Shore.

Aperture, 1983. Intro by John Rewald. Essays by Gerald Van De Kemp and Gerald Wildenstein. [Stephen Shore's photographs of Monet's famous gardens.] Wraps, 1st edition (no later printings indicated), near fine with slight shelf wear on covers. Summary:

The Gardens at Giverny: A View of Monet's World is an exquisite photographic study by pioneering American color photographer Stephen Shore. The book documents the painstaking restoration and renaissance of Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s legendary gardens in Giverny, France. Commissioned by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Shore spent six years documenting the grand revival of the grounds, resulting in a monograph enhanced by historical essays detailing the physical restoration of the property.

Key Elements of the Monograph

• The Metamorphosis of Mediums: The book offers a fascinating artistic dialogue between Impressionist painting and modern color photography. Shore approaches the exact physical landscapes that inspired Monet’s iconic masterpieces—such as the Water Lilies series—and reinterprets them through a contemporary photographic lens.

• Atmospheric and Seasonal Depth: Shore fully immersed himself in the life of the garden, routinely entering the grounds before dawn and leaving well after dusk across all four seasons. This deep commitment allowed him to capture the fluid textures, shifting backlighting, and evolving emotional moods of the landscape.

• A Masterclass in Color and Composition: As a pioneer of the "New Color Photography" movement, Shore brought his distinct artistic precision to Giverny. Using a large-format camera, his color plates navigate a delicate balance between lush, descriptive plant life—such as climbing roses, wisteria, and trailing nasturtiums—and the underlying abstract beauty of nature.

• A Visual Record of Resurrection: Because the real-world gardens had fallen into severe disrepair after Monet’s death, the book serves as a historical tribute to their physical resurrection, showcasing the precise layout, flora, and bridges exactly as Monet had designed and manicured them a century prior.

Summary

The Gardens at Giverny is a serene and masterfully composed photographic archive. It stands as a vital bridge between two distinct eras and mediums, celebrating how a modern master of color photography captured the timeless spirit of the 19th-century master of color painting.