Claude Monet (1840-1926)
A LASTING IMPRESSION
“Painting is such torture! And I am no good at all.”
—Monet, in a letter to Gustave Caillebotte, September 4, 1887.
More than 80 years after his death, Claude Monet remains one the most beloved painters in the history of art. A master of en plein air, or painting “in the open air,” Monet was also one of the founding fathers of Impressionism and was particularly adept at painting landscapes and rendering light in such a way as to capture the mood of a scene. In later years, he painted the same scenes and structures at different times of day to reveal the variances of natural light.
Born in Paris, France, Monet was raised in Le Havre. As a young man, he made money by drawing caricatures. He began painting landscapes under the tutelage of artist Eugène Boudin, whom he later credited as a significant influence. In 1860, Monet moved back to Paris. Following a brief turn in the African Light Cavalry in Algeria, he joined the studio of Charles Gleyre and attended the Académie Suisse. It was during this time that he met fellow future Impressionists Renoir, Pissarro, and others, who eventually joined forces to mount eight independent Impressionist art exhibitions between 1874 and 1886—initially to exceptionally harsh criticism.
The lush landscape and exquisite gardens surrounding Monet’s home in Giverny inspired some of the artist’s most celebrated works of art.
Monet suffered ample rejection and financial hardship for the first two decades of his career, but he began making money with his paintings in the early 1880s. He purchased a home in Giverny where he lived, gardened, and painted for the rest of his life. Today, Monet’s Gardens at Giverny are open for public tours. —RJR
Notable works: Poppies at Argenteuil, 1873; The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil, 1881; The Artist’s Garden at Giverny, 1900.