We pass by the strangely beautiful, sparsely vegetated Book Cliffs that edge the interstate to the north as we head into the canyon. The Book Cliffs look saturated this morning, appearing a darker tone of gray than usual and the Colorado River looks like chocolate milk. Low hanging clouds float along the canyon walls. Occasionally, the sun streams through and highlights a wall or glitters a section of the river.
Further up the canyon, we are greeted with fresh snow and the clouds have lifted. It’s brilliant out here! The weather and the landscape heighten our anticipation – we are headed to the Denver Art Museum to see a special exhibit of Claude Monet:
The Truth of Nature.
The weather over the pass accommodates us, but the traffic is slow. Our Monet tickets are for 4:00 pm and we wonder if we will make the schedule. But, sure enough we arrive at this bustling city with time to spare. Parking is difficult around here, but we manage to find a spot, pay the parking fee and race over to the Art Museum, arriving within minutes of our 4:00 ticket time. Escorted upstairs, and entering the first exhibit room, we are greeted with Monet’s first works: scenes with figures and buildings, boats and shorelines.
As we progress through the rooms, we move through the timeline – the last exhibit room showing his last pieces. Monet was a plen aire artist – he painted in the outdoors capturing what he saw, felt, sensed in the moment. I experience Monet’s felt sense of awe in these later paintings – that same sense of awe mentioned in previous Red Bike blogs (Sense of Awe). Affirming this, one of Monet’s quotes is found on a nearby wall.
The richness I achieve comes from NATURE, the source of my INSPIRATION.
Like any artist, Monet’s paintings are about light, color, hue, value. But what I take away from this exhibit more than any of that is how important nature was to him and how that sense of awe nurtured him. I feel nurtured myself, knowing that what fed this great artist, nurtures me, too, and how that source of nurturing is available to all of us, at anytime, right out our window.
With a Monet spirit we head back home, through sleet, rain, icy roads and a blizzard. Past Glenwood Canyon, the fog lifts, the clouds open up, the sun surges through. Rust-colored shrubs ornament the hill sides. The Colorado River, a beautiful teal color. We stop for a break and a stretch. I check out the mountains in the distance and then look closer in at the simple field in front of me,
A Monet painting…
The Truth of Nature
