Ella in the Garden of Giverny by Daniel Fehr
This child’e eye view of Claude Monet is delicately illustrated and carefully researched by both author and illustrator. We are delighted to share this interview with both the author, Daniel Fehr and illustrator, Monika Vaicenaviciene.
Ella in the Garden of Giverny is intriguing child‘s-eye view of Claude Monet and his works, set at the turn of the 20th century when American artists flocked to Giverny to study the painter‘s technique. It tells the story of Ella, the daughter of one such artist, who sneaks into Monet‘s garden and develops a friendship with him. As Ella sketches, Monet talks about his life, and explains the idea of Impressionism in a way that will make children not only understand the genre, but also want to imitate it themselves. Young readers will learn about important moments in Monet‘s life (complemented by a brief biography and key works listed at the end of the book), while also appreciating the easy camaraderie between a wise and experienced artist and a young, opinionated yet impressionable painter. In this special interview, author Daniel Fehr and illustrator Monika Vaicenaviciene tell us how they wove fact and fiction together to offer a unique perspective on the artist in this beautifully illustrated, inspiring story.
Daniel, How did you come up with the idea of telling Monet’s story through a meeting with a young girl – why not just write a straight non-fiction text about Monet’s life and work?
DANIEL: When I started this project, I asked myself: How do I want to approach an artist of Monet’s standing? What is my approach to a classic? I first experimented with a fragment of Monet’s life: the time when he painted in the Gare Saint-Lazare. I tried to go small, I tried to focus on just one period of his work, and I tried to center the process rather than the paintings. I told about a man who goes to the station every day, not to travel but to paint. But something didn’t feel right; something was missing. I asked my starting question again. But this time I reframed it: How does a child approach such a painter? And I realized: not at all. A child would not approach the famous painter; a child would approach an old man, who is painting. A “funny” guy, as Ella would say. With a beard and a hat. At this point I knew that I could not just tell the story of Monet’s life and work, rather I wanted to tell the story of an encounter.
What do you mean by that?
DANIEL: With Ella in the Garden, the book approaches Monet quite literally. The girl enters his garden secretly. She crosses the forbidden boundary. She knows that he does not like that but she does it anyway. She comes closer to Monet than he wants. But he allows it. Perhaps precisely because she doesn’t take boundaries too seriously. Like Ella, Monet was also a person who crossed boundaries. Moreover, he does not simply find a curious girl in his garden, he finds a girl who draws. Her drawings remind him of himself. She does not draw like him and yet she draws like him when he was young. This is the starting point. His childhood meets hers. He meets her not as a famous painter, but as one who himself drew funny characters. He painted like this child. Not the other way around. I hope that this approach will offer readers a chance: that they will be as curious about the old painter with the beard and hat as Ella is. She lets her own curiosity drive her. I think the book is as much about Ella as it is about Monet. Or more precisely, it’s about the creative force which for great masters is not a goal, but a starting point.
What research did you have to undertake for this book?
DANIEL: Although I knew and loved Monet’s work from my time at art school, I had to delve into it again. Into his life. Into his work. Into his artistic styles, his approaches, and processes. Always with the question: How can I give a glimpse into his work and life without becoming educational and without giving the impression that I tell the whole story. Because such a book can only hope to give small insights into a creative life. To achieve this, I had to let Monet speak for himself. I had to give him a voice. Giving a voice to a historical figure takes quite a bit of research. Something that particular struck me as I read more and more about Monet, was that he had an admirable will to endure. He did not let go. Despite rejection. Despite lack of money. Despite personal difficulties. He painted. Over and over again.
MONIKA: Initially I was provided with reference material by Doris and Daniel: Monet portraits from different times, old photos of the places mentioned in the book, quotes. And I gathered quite a lot of references myself which I used when I had to choose what textiles, clothing, furniture, transport, painting equipment to draw. The timeframe in the book is rather exact – Ella visits Monet’s garden sometime around 1900, maybe 1900 – that’s when Monet starts painting the waterlilies and the Japanese bridge and when American artist families start to come to Giverny. So, I had to know what colour the Japanese bridge was painted then. And which flowers blossom in the garden at the time when the waterlilies blossom.
Monika, was it daunting, having to recreate such famous works of art?!
MONIKA: Once the publisher assured that they are not looking for someone to copy Monet’s painting manner, but that they think my style would suit a story about him, I was relieved. Monet was one of the first artists I got to know as a kid, so he had a soft spot in my heart. My grandmother used to take me and my sister to the riverside as kids, and we would take our pencils and draw what we saw – in the spirit of Impressionists, though my grandmother was no artist herself.
Although I don’t try to mimic the Impressionist way of painting, I still find a lot of inspiration in Impressionists’ works, their use of colours, textures, spontaneity. Therefore, working with this subject was interesting and gave me an opportunity to study Monet’s paintings in even more detail.
Your illustrations give a real sense of the different subjects Monet painted – haystacks, seascapes, landscapes and of course Waterlilies. How did you choose what to include?
MONIKA: A lot of suggestions of which Monet paintings I should include in the images came from the publisher and Daniel, which was really helpful. The task for me was to incorporate those original paintings into my illustrations in such ways that would not only depict the paintings themselves, but also show how Monet might have created them, how he approached his subjects, and what might have happened when he painted.
How did you plan the layout and composure for each page? Did you work with the author and / or publisher on this?
MONIKA: I was given text for every spread, and very rough composition layouts by the publisher, Doris; for instance, if the spread was to be one continuous image or two separate pages side by side. Also, in some places, it was specified which of Monet’s painting I could reference in the illustration. In the book, there are two timelines: one tells how Ella gets into the Monet’s garden, meets him and they prepare to paint together; and in the other, Monet tells Ella about his life. I wanted to make a visual distinction between these two timelines, but also, keep the feeling of the conversation between the artist and the girl with how images interact with one another. Firstly, I made a rough sketch storyboard just with black pencil, and after the publisher and author looked through it, I proceeded with making the final illustrations.
What do you both hope readers will take from the book?
DANIEL: I hope the book finds its way into children’s rooms as well as schools. But above all, I hope that the book can be a beginning. A path. Like the one Ella found in Monet’s garden. Not because she wanted to meet the famous painter, but because she wanted to draw him. If a conversation emerges from this, about art styles, about creativity and beauty, about how artistic styles can help us perceive and transform, I am very happy.
MONIKA: I hope readers will be encouraged to take some drawing materials and go outside to draw. To draw without overthinking, and process the world around them in this way. Once you start drawing, you notice details, you notice time, find ways of communication you haven’t thought about before. Or maybe you have, as a kid. Those childhood memories of drawing near the river I still cherish deeply. Of course, drawing could and should not be everyone’s favourite pastime. But why not try? Also – be curious and persistent, and that helps not only for drawing.
Ella in the Garden of Giverny by Daniel Fehr, illustrated by Monika Vaicenaviciene is out now (8th March 2022) published by Prestel, £11.99 hardback, ISBN: 9783791374765.
