Situated 9 km to the North of Dieppe, the village of Derchigny-Graincourt encloses a treasure of architecture in a plush, rural setting.
In one of the castles in the village, at the end of the 19th Century, Auguste Renoir (see chapter "In the footsteps of the impressionists") used to spend his holidays at the house of Mr. & Mrs. Paul Berard, and produced several works which can be seen today in museums worldwide: Dieppe, Paris, Sao Paulo, New York, etc.
The Cotelle gardens, charming little English style gardens, are to be found in close proximity to the Chateau de Derchigny the proprietor of which, Gabriel de Clieu, was the first coffee planter in Martinique in the 18th Century.
Leaving from the Manor, there are many different round tours for visiting the area ( cliffs, coastline, forests, gardens,aso.) by foot. |
 |
| The port of Dieppe |
 |
|
Main Towns to discover near the Manor
DIEPPE : a lovely Town built in 1066 after the conquest of England.
VARENGEVILLE : known for its church and stained glass of G. Braque, its gardens, le Manoir Ango...
LUNERAY : protestant centre since the end of the XV century.
EU : town from the end of the French Royal Estate, beautiful XVI château, Birthplace of the ’Orléans family (www.ville-eu.fr)
Le TREPORT : all year round fishing port, renowned for its seafood restaurants, by the foot of the highest chalk cliffs in Europe.
ROUEN : historic capital of Normandy. Typical countryside, typical Cauchoises farms and fenced fields, polychrome architecture.
Parks and Gardens to visit.
By the seaside
"Le Bois des Moutiers et Shamrock" in Varengeville
"Les Jardins de Cotelle" in Derchigny-Graincourt
Along the countryside:
"Le Parc William Farcy" in Offranville
"Le Parc du château de Miromesnil" in Tourville-sur-Arques
"Le Jardin d’Annabelle" in Beauval-en-Caux
"Le Parc du château de Bosmelet" in Auffay...
Museums
Le Château Musée de Dieppe
Le VERRE et la BRESLE : 80% of perfume production takes place in the Bresle valley. Glass Museums at Eu and Blangy-sur-Bresle.
Musée J.-E. BLANCHE in Offranville.
For more tourist information: Comité Régional de Tourisme de Normandie - Office de Tourisme de Dieppe - le site de la ville de Dieppe - le site de la ville d'Eu]
|
 |
| Renoir : View of the Seacoast near Wargemont in Normandy, 1880 |
 |
Renoir
to the left: Portrait of Paul Bérard (1880)
to the right: Thérèse Bérard (1879) |
 |
| Renoir : Berard's children (1884) |
 |
| Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe - James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) |
 |
| Monet - Promenade à Pourville |
|
The soft, charming light of the Normandy coastal countryside, its villages and its towns lends this province the perfect ambiance for painting.
With its typical Normandy country houses and its countryside walks, Normandy exudes an impressionist atmosphere.
Upper Normandy, under a lead sky, can also portray another, more sombre and pensive aspect.
The Normandy colours come direct from the palette of the Impressionists: foggy greens of the morning fields, creamy whites of the cliffs and golden halos of the autumnal dawn…
Celebrated impressionist painters, produced some of their finest works here.
Let us mention, first and foremost, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). He was a close friend of Paul Berard, diplomat, banker and proprietor of the Chateau de Wargemont, who had noticed him several years previously and he worked frequently on the estate from 1883 to 1886. He finished portraits of his hosts and several pieces featuring the local landscape of Derchigny-Graincourt.
Monet, Pissaro, Sisley, Whistler, or Boudin often spent time in the region which was one of the most represented places in 19th Century painting.
SOME DATES
Around Dieppe
1882- Claude Monet came to Dieppe. He painted a series of landscapes including "La Falaise de Dieppe", similar to a painting by Delacroix.
1897- Claude Monet stayed in the region. Cliffs near Dieppe,
1902- Pissaro came and painted, staying at the Hotel du Commerce, under the arcades of the Poissonerie.
Chateau de Wargemont, Derchigny-Graincourt
1883 to 1886- Renoir resided at the Chateau. Here, he produced portraits of the Berard family, including:
1879- Portraits of Therese and Margot Berard
1880- Portrait of Paul Berard and View of the Coast near Wargemont.
1884- The Berard Children
Around Pourville
1880- Monet painted several works ( his wife died the previous year)
1882- From February to March, Monet visited and stayed at the Lodge at "Renomee de la Galette", and over a period of 7 weeks he painted the sea at Pourville & Varengeville (including "A walk on the cliff at Pourville).
In the Summer, all the family stayed at the Villa Juliette, here Claude Monet painted the portraits of Mr. & Mrs. Paul, the bakers of Pourville, in exchange for numerous succulent cakes for his children, and a portrait of Alice Hoschedee.
1896- Monet spent Winter: a dozen paintings are devoted to the "Maison du Douanier" (Customs House).
1899- The Normandy Coast which Camille Pissaro barely frequented at the time his colleagues worked in the area, finally comes to appreciate the area.
Sources : Comité Départemental de Tourisme de Seine-Maritime - A la rencontre de Pierre-Auguste Renoir - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York]
|
