c. 1888

Giverny

American, 1852 - 1896

In the mid-1880s, the village of Giverny, situated in the picturesque Seine Valley north of Paris, became a colony for American artists. Robinson's painting is one of a number of similar views of the village that explore variations of color and light during different times of the day and under varying atmospheric conditions. Robinson learned this practice from Claude Monet, who lived in Giverny and became a close friend after the two met in 1888. The painting's dramatic diagonal composition is indebted to Japanese woodblock prints, which Robinson admired and collected.