Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting, of which “The Iris Garden at Giverny” (painted between 1899 and 1900) is a beautiful example. It’s a celebration of color, light and movement. When Monet purchased the Giverny estate, he redesigned the flower garden already planted on its grounds. His preference for blue and violet flowers inspired him to plant most of his spring beds with irises. Monet painted the flowers with short, thick strokes of pure pigment. In this painting he creates the floating effect of the iris beds, described as a “haze of lilac in the sun.”