Claude Monet Paintings

Claude Monet

Claude Monet, the founder of French impressionist painting and a great landscape painter, was born on November 14 in Paris. He was the second son of Claude- Adolphe and Louise-Justine; both of them were second-generation Parisians. Monet was baptized on May 20 at a local church in Paris. In 1845 Monet moved to Le Havre with his family. His father wanted him to go to the family store business, but Monet wanted to become an artist. Monet's mother was a great singer.

Monet entered the Le Harve School of arts and became famous for his charcoal caricatures to pursue his career in arts. He used to sell those for ten to twenty Francs. Monet took his drawing lessons from Jacques, a great artist and a former student of Jacques-Louis. In 1856/1857, he met Eugene Boudin, who became his mentor, and Monet learned about using oil Paints and outdoor techniques for painting. On January 28, 1857, Monet's mother died. Monet left his school when he was just 16 years, and went to live with his aunt.

Early life

When Monet traveled to Paris to visit Louvre, he saw the painters copying from the old masters. But Monet didn't follow that and brought his paints and other tools to visit nearby places to draw what he saw. Monet was in Paris for many years and met many painters who became friends. 

One of his friends was Edouard Manet. In June 1862, Monet joined the first regiment of the African light cavalry for two years from seven years contract. Due to his typhoid condition, his aunt was ready to get him out of the army if he agreed to join an art course at a university. The Dutch painter, whom Monet knew may have suggested this to his aunt.

Monet joined the University, but he didn't like the way the University taught traditional art, so he decided to become a student of Charles Gleyre in Paris, where he met many great artists. They shared a common approach to art, painting styles, and painting the effects of light en Plein air with broken color, with rapid brushstrokes. This technique in painting later came to be known as impressionism.

In the year 1866, he painted Monet's Camille that made him popular and brought him recognition. It was an art of many artworks featuring his wife, Camille Doncieux. Monet's personal life tragedy started when his wife fell ill during her second pregnancy. Her situation became worse, and Monet painted a portrait of her on her death bed. Monets went to live with Alice and Ernest and their six children. After Camille's death, Monet painted a set of paintings known as Ice Draft Series. He grew closer to Alice, and eventually, they became romantically involved. 

Ernest spent most of the time in Paris, so he never divorced Alice. Monet and Alice moved with their children to Giverny and later got married in 1892 after the death of Ernest. Monet gained financial success in the 1880s, and he started serial painting. In Giverny, he spent most of the time painting outdoors and garden. The water lilies in the pond had a soft corner in his heart.

Later life

After the Franco-Prussian war, Monet took refuge in England, where he studied Joseph Mallord, William Turner, and John Constable, both of the landscape artists, who inspired Monet's creativity in the study of color. In spring 1871, he left London to live in Zaandam, and there he made 25 paintings. In November 1871, Monet returned to France and lived in a village near Paris painted some of his best artworks there. In 1872 he painted impression sunrise. It was hung in the first impressionist exhibition in 1874, and now it is in Paris. During the 1880s, he created many landscapes.

In May 1883, Monet rented a house from a local landowner located near the main road between Vernon and Gasny. There was a barn that was used as a painting studio, a small garden, and orchards. The house was close to school for the children to attend the school, and the surrounding have Monet to paint the landscape. Monet started earning more money when his dealer sold many paintings. Monet loved painting nature and garden in Giverny. Monet also traveled to many places to find inspiration for his paintings. 

While he was in the Mediterranean, he painted landmarks, seascapes, landscapes. He painted a popular series of paintings in London, Venice z and Italy.

In the early 1890s, he rented a room in northwestern France and focused on the structure. His different paintings showed a building in the morning light, gray weather, midday, and more. Apart from this, Monet painted the same things repeatedly to show the sensation of a particular time of the day on a place of the landscape. 

In 1990 Monet traveled to London, where the Thames River caught his attention. After the death of his beloved Alice, Monet became depressed. In 1912 he developed cataracts in his right eye. It affected his eyesight and gave him a reddish tone. After the surgery, he could only see a certain length of ultraviolet wavelengths of light, affecting his color choosing capacity.

Death

He experienced depression in his final years, and he felt like a failure. Despite that, he continued painting till his last breath. Monet died on December 5, 1926, at his own home in Giverny. Monet achieved so many things in his life, and he helped the world see the magic of landscape paintings. With his artwork, he opened doors to many opportunities and influenced many artists. His famous home and garden turned into French of fine arts in 1996. Through the foundation of Monet, the home and gardens were open to visit in 1980. The home contains his collection of Japanese woodcut prints, and the home is one of the main attractions of Giverny, which tourists from all over the world visit.