Claude Monet was an innovative artist whose work gave a name to the movement "Impressionism," which was defined by the capturing of light and natural forms in the late 1800s. Monet’s education and lifestyle assisted him in creating new techniques, produce unique pieces and make history.
Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840 in Paris but moved to Le Havre at a very young age. As a child he often made a small income as he was becoming a popular caricaturist. He soon entered a school of arts in Le Havre and later attracted the attention of Eugene Boudain who became Monet’s mentor. Boudain introduced him to “en plen air” painting which inspired his first recognized artwork, “View from Rouelles” or “Vue des bords de la Lezarde”. Later on, Monet spent two years where he joined a studio and further practiced the effects of light “en plen air” with broken color and short brushstrokes. This is the technique that became known as Impressionism. The term was first coined by an art critic, describing one of Monet’s paintings, “Impression, Sunrise” that had been displayed in the studio of Nadar for the first time. Due to financial instability Monet stayed with another impressionist, Manet, in Argentuil for several years but was forced to sell many of his unappreciated paintings to survive. Eventually, Monet started to gain respect and was fortunate to display his pieces in several successful exhibits. Monet continued to create many other famous paintings including “Haystacks(Meules)”, “Poplars(Peupliers)”, and “Series of Cathedrals(Rouen Cathedrals)”.
Impressionist’s art is very diverse from the commonly used art methods of the time period. Instead of smooth paintings that made reference to literature or history their paintings were of life around them. The process involves painting the light and painting directly from nature, expressing the visual as accurately as possible in the allotted time frame (n...