Summary
Highlights
Claude Monet was born in Paris in 1840 but moved to Le Havre at age five. Early in his teenage years, he worked as a cartoonist and caricaturist. He met Eugene Boudin, who introduced him to open-air painting, a revolutionary concept at the time, which profoundly influenced Monet's artistic development.
Monet moved to Paris in 1859, initially leading an unproductive life. After military service in Algeria, he returned to Paris in 1862 and joined Charles Gleyre's studio, where he met future Impressionists like Renoir and Sisley. Monet clashed with the academic traditions, preferring to paint outdoors.
In 1866, Monet attempted ambitious works like 'Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe' and 'Women in the Garden,' which explored light and color in new ways, but were rejected by the Salon. This period was marked by poverty and personal challenges, including the birth of his son by Camille Doncieux, who later became his wife.
In 1869, Monet and Renoir collaborated at La Grenouillère, experimenting with fragmented brushstrokes and unmixed colors, drawing from Eugene Chevreul's color theories. This led to a revolutionary approach to painting shadows, no longer using black but reflecting surrounding colors, making them as vibrant as highlights.
In 1873, Monet and other artists formed the 'Société Anonyme' to exhibit their work independently. Their first exhibition in 1874 featured Monet's 'Impression, Sunrise,' which, along with his other works, received critical abuse for its lack of detail and 'unfinished' appearance, unintentionally giving the movement its name: Impressionism.
Despite selling some works like 'Japanese Girl,' economic recession and personal hardship, including his wife Camille's illness and death in 1879, continued. During this time, Monet painted a series of the Gare Saint-Lazare railway station, focusing on the atmospheric effects of steam and light, showcasing his fascination with fog and its impact on scenery.
The early 1880s brought financial stability for Monet, largely due to art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny with his children and Alice Hoschedé and her children, where he would live for the rest of his life. His artistic output became prolific, focusing on landscapes and figures within them, such as 'Woman with a Parasol'.
By the 1890s, Monet began his famous series paintings, depicting the same subject repeatedly under different light conditions to capture fleeting impressions. His 'Haystacks,' 'Poplars,' and 'Rouen Cathedral' series were hugely successful, solidifying his status as a leading artist. He also acquired his Giverny home and married Alice Hoschedé.
Monet dedicated his later years to his garden at Giverny, creating a water lily pond that became the subject of his final artistic triumph. Despite failing eyesight, he pursued his vision of creating a 'Water Lilies' mural installation. Completed in 1926 shortly before his death, these murals provided an immersive experience for the viewer, epitomizing his revolutionary approach to light and color.
Monet's work fundamentally shifted painting from storytelling to the dissolution of the world in light and color. His pursuit of capturing optical experience freed art from traditional representation, paving the way for abstract art and influencing subsequent generations of artists. His revolutionary use of color transformed how the art world perceived light and vision.