Claude Monet, in his garden, by Étienne Clémentel, c. 1917
Ahh, the sights and smells of Giverny….what a glorious place it must have been and still is. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes has created olfactive paintings for her upcoming collaboration with the Denver Museum of Art entitled In Bloom: Painting Flowers in the Age of Impressionism which debuts July 19, 2015. Dawn has composed four different fragrances, based on accords that will be used as ambience scenting at the Exhibition. Each has been expanded into more complex composition and translate the key aspects of this artistic genre into scent; there is a sense of light, movement and fine visible brush strokes that defines Impressionist Art of the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Each have an airy and pleasant aura – like clean air on a bright dewy day infused with the gentle wisps of all the lovely things the eyes and nose behold. Each are as relaxing as they are exhilarating to the mind; conjuring it to wonder in anticipation – giving the impression – of the beauty that can enrapture both visual and olfactive senses.
Two Vases of Flowers – Paul Cezanne
Giverny in Bloom: To begin the tour we get an overview of all that is to come. The impression I get is of a lovely bouquet that meets us at the door. This is not just any bouquet – it is freshly plucked from the garden. The smell of green stems and leaves have not left the room and are still quite heavy in the air. Soon thereafter the green dissipates and we are left with the blooms that are meant to be the star of the show.
Édouard Manet Boy in Flowers
Light hints of iris and other mixed flowers please the senses working into a deep and beautiful carnation augmented by rose whilst an underlying element of earth and water reminds us that we are indeed in or near the garden of their creation. All said, this is a marvelous overview of a each of the the other three fragrances and brings the story to us as a whole and hints of it individual parts. In a sense, it’s the bouquet at the door to great us. Welcome to the garden!
Water Lily Pond and Weeping Willow Claude Monet
Le Jardin Vert: As the name suggests, this fragrance is all about green – verdant green, full of life. If you have ever smelled freshly cut/disturbed iris, tulip, hyacinth, or lily, you will most certainly recognize the resemblance here. While the green represented upfront is very intense to start, much like in nature, it fades fairly quickly, but, in this scenario, it’s followed by light hint of watery florals and the sense that body water is near. In the bottom notes there is evidence of a green of a different type – like moss growing near a rock on a pond amongst the lily pads and fresh water. Altogether it’s fresh, clean, watery, and chlorophyll centric – its green leaves meeting waters of clear blue. In another sense, it’s the smell of tending the garden.
Claude Monet Dawn used this painting in her studio for inspiration
La Danse des Bleus et des Violettes: To me this fragrance represents the heart of the garden- the place where I would go to dance or sing. Here the sun shines down and and a few more “colors” are added to the chorus . The florals here are much stronger and add to the element of “”color to the canvas” of green and blue (blue taking on the facet of the sky as well as the water) as discovered in Le Jardin Vert. The main new color to the mix is purple, as represented by heliotrope and violet. The two intermingle with the air to make a very attractive place to sit and stay awhile. In just a few words, it’s a scent that is as calming as it is inspiring. In a word, beautiful.
Odilon Redon Flowers 1904
Les Opera des Rouges et des Roses: There is an air of vintage to this that makes me adore this one more so than the others; this fragrance truly operatic and theatrical in every sense. In my opinion, this is the dark beauty and crown jewel of the collection. Within the walls of the bottled opera house stands the regal rose in all her red glory accompanied by a few other colors of the rose court. She is happy to the starring act of the show. Alas, she is not the total star of the show – that would go to carnation. If the carnation would be a person, she would be smoking a clove cigarette in velvet gloves in the back of the room not wanting to be noticed, but noticed all the same – she is impossible to miss. Men hover around her like bees on a honeycomb. When she sings with the rose, their combined voice is such a pleasing accord that all else pales in comparison. I can see the elements of this one by and large are what dominate the overview given in Giverny in Bloom. This is pure opulence.
Title Image for the Denver Art Museum Show Edouard Manet Flowers in a Crystal Vase
As an overall collection, Giverny in Bloom is as gorgeous as its name, and Dawn once again shows how some of her finest work is inspired by her collaboration with DAM. For those lucky enough to be in the Denver area, I think you are in for a real treat. The thought of these lovely fragrances filling the room whilst enjoying the painted interpretations of the great Impressionists is awe inspiring.
–Aaron Potterman, Guest Contributor, Founder and Perfumer for Les Parfums de la Maison 303
Disclosure samples sent by DSH Perfumes
Editor’s Note: The DSHPerfumes Collection Giverny in Bloom will be available on dshperfumes.com as of July 14th, 2015 as limited editions, so if you want to preorder please email dsh@dshperfumes.com. I chose the artwork based on Aaron’s reviews and some help from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. They do not neccesarily represent what will be at the actual exhibit- Michelyn
For our USA registered readers we have a coffret of Giverny in Bloom Le Jardin Vert La Danse des Bleus et des Violettes and Les Opera des Rouges et des Roses
and
for our International registered readers there is a sampler set.
Please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Aaron’s review, which of the four fragrances you might like the best, where you live and if you have a favorite Impressionist painter. Draw closes July 9, 2015
We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume