WHEELING — Long considered spaces for expressing color, light and atmosphere, the garden has occupied the creative minds of some of the world’s greatest artists. The film “Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse” explores the intriguing relationship between art and horticulture.

It will be shown April 7-8 at Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre.

Claude Monet was an avid horticulturist and arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art, but he was not alone. Great artists like Van Gogh, Bonnard, Sorolla, Sargent, Pissarro and Matisse all saw the garden as a powerful subject for their art. These great artists, along with many other famous names, were featured in an innovative and extensive exhibition from The Royal Academy of Arts, London.

This film takes a magical behind-the-scenes journey from the gallery to some of the most beautiful gardens depicted in art, from Monet’s water lilies at Giverny to Bonnard’s privately owned garden in Vernonnet and other glorious grounds favored by artists.

International gardening experts and art critics bring insights into the history of the garden’s relationship with art. Interviews with renowned modern artists reveal how the relationship between artists and the natural world continues to flourish in the 21st Century.

Show times are 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday, April 7 and 4 p.m. Sunday, April 8.

Tickets for all screenings can be purchased at the door and are $7 per person. Box office opens one hour prior to each screening. You can purchase beer, wine, soda, water, popcorn and candy at all Towngate movies.

The film is part of “Exhibition on Screen,” which is the originator and pioneer of bringing exhibition-based art films to the cinema.

A church-turned-theater, Towngate is located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District and is part of the nonprofit Oglebay Institute. Towngate offers entertainment almost every weekend.

For more information on Towngate Theatre, visit www.oionline.com or call 304-242-7700.