Happy #EarthDay 🌻 Claude Monet painted this colorful garden outside the pink house he rented with his family in Vétheuil, just outside Paris. The scene captures three of Monet’s greatest loves: his sons, Jean and Michel (watched over by their nanny), and, of course, flowers. Monet had such a deep passion for flowers that he once said they were a big reason he became a painter. While this painting is full of bright sunflowers and gladioli, it was created during one of the toughest times of Monet’s life. After moving to Vétheuil in 1878, he struggled with money, lost his wife Camille in 1879, and saw his art market collapse. Despite these challenges, Monet found solace in his garden, turning it into his personal studio. The flowers and quiet offered him a much-needed escape. Even as the impressionist movement started falling apart by 1886, Monet continued to paint nature, finding comfort in the beauty around him. . . . . 🖼️ Claude Monet, “The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil,” 1881, oil ...