Blossoming Time in Normandy

Mary Fairchild MacMonnies Low represents the apex of American Impressionism painted in France.  Though born in New Haven, Connecticut, she grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother was an amateur artist who gave Mary her first real training in art. She attended the St. Louis Art School where she was an activist who demanded female students be allowed to attend life drawing classes. Her next instruction was in Paris at the Académie Julian. In 1888 Low married her first husband, the painter and sculptor Frederick MacMonnies. They first lived in Paris, then purchased a former priory--Le Moutier in Giverny. Their new home boasted a large garden that Low would often feature in her works. She once remarked that the garden was her favorite subject to paint, and indeed she captured the luscious landscape through all seasons.

During husband Frederick’s frequent absences, American artist Will Hicock Low visited Giverny, and developed an interest in Mary. In 1909 Will Low's wife died, nearly the same time Frederick MacMonnies filed for divorce from Mary. Mary and Will Hicock Low married in 1909 and returned to America.

The Union League Club purchased Blossoming Time in Normandy just six years after it was painted. It shows influence of French Impressionism, particularly that of Claude Monet. Low has portrayed a fleeting moment in the cycle of nature. Trees of cherry, pear, plum, and apple all radiantly bloom. Visible in the distance are a woman wearing a white apron and two children; these are Mary's two daughters and their Nanny. At the time of this painting, her daughters were ages six and four.