The Secret Life Of Claude Monet Part 2
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The Secret Life Of Claude Monet Part 2

Bernadette

144
The Secret Life Of Claude Monet Part 2

Continued...

Chapter 5:

As a tutor in Monet’s household, Bernadette became more independent and strong willed by all the difficult tasks she now had to deal with; taking care of the children, managing the household because Camille was sick, and most importantly being Monet’s secret muse. Monet, during this time, captured Bernadette in much of his work through the slightest most unnoticeable techniques. It was her glowing presence that he thrived off during his financially and mentally hard stage of life. Bernadette’s mother, Marquiet was full of delight for her daughter getting to tutor Monet’s children, while her husband was more skeptical on the matter. However, because of the decent amount of money Bernadette was paid, there was no argument for her father to decline. Marquiet knew that having her daughter around every day tutoring the children, would only hypnotize Monet with Bernadette’s tranquil and electrifying beauty. However, even as a tutor in this household, Bernadette only became more confused and lost in the mystery of Monet’s life. She did however become much closer to him. They would go for walks together in the poppy fields and through his sunflower gardens together, discussing their personal interest and hobbies. He would always explain to her his thoughts and ideas for the next painting he was to create, whether it was a landscape, cityscape, or a still life. Yet Alice Hoschede did pay visits still to the Monet household and eventually ended up moving in, during the year of 1880, after Camille died in 1879, shortly after giving birth to her and Monet’s second son. Camille’s death took a toll on Monet, and was especially vivid in much of his work, which Bernadette encountered first hand.

Bernadette knew deep down inside that Camille would always be Monet’s first and true muse, even in death, and that his love for her was undeniably everlasting. Every day for about a month she would arrive to Monet’s house, to find him vigorously painting the scene of Camille on her Deathbed. Bernadette observed it as one of his most candid and yet darkest paintings, in which he preserves her undying beauty and their unwavering love through fleeting nuances of color, reminiscent of many of his seascapes. Even though he was grieving, Bernadette was the one who in fact took care of him and brought happiness to him during his darkest period. Because of her, he grew a sunflower garden, which led him to painting The Artist’s Garden at Vetheuil and the Bouquet of Sunflowers in 1881. Bernadette loved the sunflower garden, and spent many long afternoons chasing the children around in it while trying to read to them from Rousseau’s The Social Contract.

Chapter 6:

“Francis will you please not touch that. Bernadette take the children upstairs now!” The Monet household had once again become the center of commotion in Vetheuil as the Hoschede’s were moving in. They had lost all their money, and Monet being the kind gentle folk he was, offered them to stay at his house. Alice was busily ordering the placement of all her boxes of miscellaneous objects and bags over spilling with clothes, as her six children were chaotically running around. “Bernadette will you please do something helpful and take the children!” Alice yelled demandingly. “Yes Madame right away.” Bernadette said, while grabbing the soft yet sweaty hands of two of the boys, and dragging them upstairs to their room. Over the past few months, Bernadette had spent less and less time with her family, as her need at the Monet household was far too great for her to be gone for a long period of time. As she was taking the children upstairs she heard Sophie’s voice calling from outside the house.

“Bernadette! Bernadette!” Bernadette threw open the window by the staircase on the second floor to find sweet Sophie outside standing in the middle of the muddy cobbled streets. Sophia yelled up to her younger sister, “When you have time come home, mother is having one of her fits again. She’s been in bed for days at this point and refuses to eat.” Bernadette could only let out a tired sigh of sadness at the hearing of this. Vivienne had run away last month with the post man. Bernadette and Sophie had known for a while that their younger sister had grown a subtle fascination with this postman, who would always give her the sweetest and most mischievous smiles when he would deliver the mail, but yet the two never said anything. Their mother, whose sole purpose in life was to have her daughters married off in a respectable manner, was distraught at the thought of her daughter running away, not legally married, bringing disgrace to the family.

“I’ll try to come over later tonight Sophie. The Hoschede’s are moving in so I have a lot I have to do regarding the children, but I will try!” Sophie looked somewhat disappointed. “Alright, we’ll please do try, mother dearly needs you.” Bernadette again sighed deeply, knowing that there was no way she could make it home tonight.

Chapter 7:

“Clarice don’t get your dress too muddy. You know you mother will not be pleased if she finds you with grass and mud stains on your new Sunday dress.” The young little daughter of Alice and Ernest ran against the wind across the rapacious field of red violet poppies. Monet stood at the top of the hill painting the field beneath him. Clarice ran around with her two other sisters, their light moon blue dresses splashing hints of color in the poppy field, which Monet intricately seized in his painting. Bernadette poised in amidst of it all, her charcoal straw hat, placidly defining her golden hair, was an illuminous sign for Monet, who was secretly using her as his muse. This painting, later known as Poppy Field near Vetheuil, is illustrative of Monet capturing a hidden spot outside of Bernadette’s home, where she would spend many long hours beneath the towering cypress trees. In the painting, Monet included three of his children, and another figure dressed in white, fused into the foreground of poppies, radiating an almost ethereal appearance. Many art historians have never been able to distinguish the figure, if it was either an apparition of Camille or in fact Alice. But it was indefinably Bernadette. Painted in such a calming enthusiastic way, one could not tell it was her, but only the one who painted it. It was by that way Monet was able to conceal his hidden obsession and passion for Bernadette.

Life for Bernadette in 1882 was a lot different from what she would have expected. She had travelled with Monet to Pourville, a small town of farming and light industry situated in the Pays de Caux. Monet had decided to move out to Pourville for a few months with Bernadette and the children, claiming she was the only one keeping him sane during this difficult time of the passing of his wife. He was unsatisfied with his current urban environment in Vetheuil according to his diaries, and even though he consumed himself with the nature in the country, it was the nature that haunted him with past fleeting memories of Camille. He wanted to escape from it. Bernadette at this point had to accept her growing fascination and passion for Monet. She was not physically in love with him, but in love with his artistic soul, while Monet was it love with Bernadette’s youthfulness and uniqueness. It was here in this fishing town, where Monet painted Clifftop Walk at Pourville, a piece during his Argenteuil period. Along with Alice’s two daughters, Suzanne and Blanche, Bernadette would walk alongside the whitewash cliffs, admiring the sheer beauty of the sea, as Monet would document the scene. Bernadette at sometimes felt she was becoming nature itself through the way Monet perceived her in his paintings. However, the secret of Bernadette being Monet’s secret muse started to unravel, as rumors spread throughout Vetheuil when the painting was on exhibition that the lady in the white Victorian dress with the rosy pink parasol was Bernadette. Many had believed it to have been Camille or one of the daughters. It was in actuality Bernadette, which brought with it many scandalous thoughts, with regards of Monet to paint the tutor of his children.

Chapter 8:

“Bernadette will you hurry and bring the tea.” Alice bluntly spoke from her thin crispy lips. Bernadette ran out from the creamy yellow dining room where she was placing a vase of sunflowers on the white lace table cloth. “So sorry Madame, I will get that out right away.” “Well hurry up!” She replied “You know I have a short temperament.” Bernadette only smiled as she walked inside, rubbing her wet hands on her apron. Ever since moving to Giverny in 1883, a village that lay in a lateral arm of the Seine, Bernadette had only fallen more in love with the mystique of Monet and his work. It was 1893, and Monet had grown financially wealthier due to the success of his Grain Stack paintings, and was able to purchase this beautiful house along with its land. He had legalized his marriage to Alice in 1892, after Alice’s husband passed away in 1891. Ernest had fallen into the pool of rumors, also believing his wife was having an affair with Monet when he was not in town, and so demanded that she and the children return with him to Paris in 1886. She refused, and willingly claimed to stay with Monet, which did not upset Bernadette for she knew Monet already contained passion for, but in a different form than what he had for Alice. Alice knew well that Monet desired inspiration from Bernadette, and this did result in her being bitter to the sweet Bernadette. While Monet did include Alice in many of his paintings, he never illustrated her in the same manner as he did Bernadette. Overtime, Alice grew to dislike Bernadette, and became jealous of her, because of Monet’s obsession with her as his muse. Bernadette had always noticed that Alice did not like her, but she did not know to what a great extent, till she caught Alice one day burning photographs of Camille and of herself in the attic. Bernadette, however, did not tell anyone, not wanting to upset Monet. Monet was busy dedicating his time to creating a perfect environment of heavenly nature. Surrounded by marshes, meadows, woods, and low hills, the village of Giverny was a perfect location for an artist to indulge and become inspired.

As Bernadette brought the tea out to the front porch that overlooked a dazzling view of a lawn covered with floral clusters of every magical shade, she could smell the early morning rain that had subsided. “Tonight we are having Georges Clemenceau over.” Alice said tired and drearily. She was responsible for day to day matters, including the organizations of dinners and parties, all of which she dreaded. Bernadette on the other hand loved attending these parties. The conversations were not as formal as one would think, always centered on arts and politics, but consisted of more banal subjects such as Monet’s gardening and cooking around the house. Monet was an enthusiastic collector and swapper of recipes, which was why they were always an ongoing conversation at his dinner parties. Bernadette loved it here, and believed that she had embarked on her greatest adventure yet. Her family would often visit. Her mother, Marquiet overjoyed at getting to admire the beautiful gardens and walking across the Japanese styled bridge whenever she came to Giverny. This brought her much happiness, with her husband, passing away only a few years ago. Sophie and Edith were happily married to wealthy businessmen in Paris, so it was always hard for them to visit, but when they did Monet welcomed them with open arms. As for Vivienne she did end up marrying the postman, along with a traditional wedding, but because of their lack of staying in touch they often did not visit. Adele, the wild 23 year old she was, was never at any account of Bernadette’s, courting a man, but loved to help Bernadette with managing the house and taking care of the children at Giverny. France at this point in time, especially in the art world was currently dealing with the French Impressionism, with Monet acting as the leader of the group. There was a growing fear towards Germany in France, in which the Franco-Russian Alliance formed in 1894 in order to secure an alliance if Germany decided to invade; perquisites of World War 1. However, Bernadette and Monet remained adrift from all this commotion and fear because they lived in their own world. And so that was their life in Giverny. Monet always working in the gardens, on the urge of creating his next masterpiece, Bernadette tutoring the children and exploring the endless gardens, and Alice fussing around with daily matters at the house.

Chapter 9:

Alice died in 1911. At this point in time, all of Monet’s and Alice’s children had gone and left. Bernadette, now a middle aged women had never lost her beauty. Her sisters were all married at this point and with children, even including little Adele, while Bernadette remained a maiden in love. She stayed with Monet because his eye sight was growing frail, and needed help getting around the house. Monet had begun a series of paintings involving water lilies, expressing intense focus on the surface of water, which to him held the darkest secrets of nature. The critics were constantly tearing apart his work, voicing that they were messy and distracting for the eye. Monet though continued his work and continued to import these water lilies from Egypt and South America, against the local authorities wishes. It was one painting though that held the most meaning for him, and that was the one he painted in 1899.

Bernadette loved walking around the gardens, especially across the Japanese bridge overlooking a pond of water lilies. Monet would sit outside and paint this area of the garden while she would lightly stroll around. She was so free-spirited, another element Monet expresses in the piece. She would hide around in the weeds and dance with the breezing grasses as he painted away. After this painting was finished it was an exemplary piece of his love and his hidden muse, Bernadette. For, she was lost to history after that. Her death unknown. Many thought she had drowned in the pond, hinting why there was a layer of bright red underneath the lily pads and flowers, or that she in fact became nature itself.

** *

“You see, this painting holds Monet’s darkest secrets. Secrets that even he cannot explain.” The young girl was still sitting there on the bench, very taken with the whole story. “How do you know all this?” she asked. “Well my great-grandfather was Monet’s gardener at Giverny. When he left he took with him many of the stories that he had heard from Monet himself and Bernadette. There is not a single photographic image of either Bernadette or Camille. If there ever was, Alice most probably burned them. The only thing that keeps them alive is Monet’s work.” The young girl smiled, as she once again looked over at the Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies. She could see Bernadette there in the back next to the tall grasses dancing underneath the trees. As she stood back, next to that piece was a self-portrait of Monet.

“He does seem like a person who holds a lot of secrets.” She said out loud analyzing Monet’s face, his eyes a dark sun of perplexing thought. “He even looks like you a little, except for your eyes” The young girl giggled, turning around to find that the old man was gone. Disappeared from the room. For a moment she wasn’t sure if she had seen a ghost or if she was dreaming. She walked out of the room into another exhibition of Monet’s work. The Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies hung on the white wall, and came to life, as a girl in a white dress ran across the bridge to the join a man, as they both disappeared into the backdrop of the painting.

THE END

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