Claude Monet
French·1840–1926
Impressionist founder Claude Monet (1840-1926) revolutionized painting by capturing fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. His 1872 painting Impression, Sunrise gave the movement its name when a critic used it mockingly. Monet developed plein air painting into a complete artistic philosophy, working outdoors to record the shifting qualities of natural light. His series paintings, depicting haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and water lilies at different times of day, pushed this approach to new heights. Loose brushwork, vibrant colors, and dissolved forms became his signatures.
Born in Paris but raised in Le Havre, Monet learned to paint outdoors from Eugene Boudin. He studied briefly at the Academie Suisse and under Charles Gleyre, where he met Renoir. Financial struggles marked his early career, but dealer Paul Durand-Ruel's support brought eventual success. From 1883, Monet lived at Giverny, transforming its gardens into a living masterpiece that inspired his final decades of work. Cataracts affected his late paintings with warm tones before surgery in 1923. The Musee d'Orsay and Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris hold major collections, with his eight Water Lilies panels filling two oval rooms at the Orangerie.
