Claude Monet and His Art

When artwork from the period based on Impressionism is discussed, the artist that is mentioned the most is Claude Monet. In 1840 Monet was born in Paris, France. Usually, it is the hardships and struggles that have created the very best artists and Monet was not born into a wealthy family.

What In a Name?

The Monet family was Catholic and they taught their religion to their son at an early age. When Claude Monet was baptized he was given the name Oscar-Claude and his parents always called him Oscar since his father's name was also Claude. As an artist, he became known as Claude Monet.

Wasn’t Religious

Even though he was raised strictly as a Catholic Monet later on chose not to believe in God. He renounced the church and became an Atheist. It is not really known why he came to this decision but in some of his artworks one can see a certain kind of spirituality in the paintings which came from within the artist himself and this he found as being meaningful.

Dad Hated His Work

By the time Monet turned five he was already drawing mostly caricatures of his teachers at school. As time went on his school books were filled with his drawings. After the Monet family moved to Le Havre, Claude became famous for drawing the residents of the city. However, while others delighted in his artistic talent his father hated his son’s drawings and his creativity. He wanted his son to one day join him in his grocery business. However, his mother loved and supported his artistic endeavors.

The Military and Typhoid

After his mother died, Monet was sent away to live with his aunt at the age of 17 so that he could pursue an education in art in Paris, France. Even though this presented him with a great opportunity he chose to join the military in 1859. He agreed to serve for seven years however in his second year in the military he came down with a bad case of typhoid fever. His aunt pleaded for the military to release Monet and they agreed on the condition that he complete an art course at an accredited art school.

Hated Modern Art

The biggest problem that Monet faced was that he hated modern art. To him, traditional techniques appeared to be bland and boring. Therefore he chose to become an apprentice under Charles Gleyre, who was a Swiss artist and liked to experiment with all kinds of new techniques. As time went on Monet made friends with other artists, who thought the same way that he did. His discussions with these artists about what would impact the art world led to the foundations of Impressionism.

Loved to Paint His Wife

Monet enjoyed painting his family more than anything else. This is the reason why his wife appears in many of his paintings as a model. It could also be a matter of finances since hiring models cost money but Monet was satisfied with having his wife pose for him. She is featured in paintings like “Women in the Garden” and “On the Bank of the Seine”.

A Most Intense Painting

In 1878 their second son was born and Monet’s wife started to suffer from ill health. She had tuberculosis and was later diagnosed with uterine cancer. While she was on her deathbed Monet painted her and this has become one of his most intense paintings.

Scorn Brings Fame

Monet painted a view of the harbor that he could see from his window. This artistic work is called “Sunrise”. Because in the painting there was the hint of a harbor instead of distinct shapes this painting was referred to as Impression. A critic said that this painting was not good and not worth anything. However, this was written in an article titled “The Exhibition of the Impressionists” and in this way, the movement got its name and became popular.

Thirty Years of Artwork

It is not the early work of Monet but his later artwork that gets mostly displayed in museums and is admired. Altogether Monet painted around 250 oil paintings. Amazingly he was able to accomplish this as he had a severe cataract that greatly limited his vision. Even though he could barely see his paintings all have amazing detail.

The Houses of Parliament

Monet really admired the Gothic spires that were part of the Houses of Parliament in London, England. He became entranced by the buildings and over four years he painted them four different times only in different environmental conditions. Among his paintings of The Houses of Parliament are the buildings in fog, on a stormy night, and at sunrise and sunset.

Designing His Gardens

Even though Monet never got his own hands dirty in his garden he saw that he didn’t like how his garden was being designed. He made his own designs as to how he wanted his garden to look and had hired hands to follow them. A lot of his masterpieces came from the designs that he saw in his gardens at Giverny, including the famous painting of water lilies, which is considered to be Monet’s lifetime masterpiece.

Just One of the Guys

Monet didn’t look down on people because he was a talented artist. He just wanted to make enough so that his family could live comfortably. Monet had his share of tragedies and was widowed twice. In his final twelve years of life, his stepdaughter took care of him due to his severe cataracts. In 1914 his oldest son died twelve years before Monet would die himself from lung cancer. Monet would have been greatly surprised to know that one of his paintings sold for $40 million in 2008.

A Fascination With Death

A common theme in Monet’s paintings was the exploration of death, his own death. At one time the artist considered suicide and wanted to jump into the Seine because he couldn’t pay his bills.

A Second Monet or a Third

An amazing fact is that when Monet was not happy with a painting he would just paint over the existing canvas. As a result, many of his paintings have several layers and perhaps there are several great works of art in one painting. Monet created a large portfolio of his artwork and it is greatly treasured today and his paintings are on display in museums all around the globe. You can see the spirituality and emotion of the artist in every one of his brush strokes.

Popular Artworks

Impression Sunrise is the Monet painting that inspired the name of the new movement.

The Water Lilies is a series that spans some 250 pieces of art all in varying sizes. He painted these in his garden in Giverny. There was a large pond with water lilies and a small bridge crossing it. In the 1920s the French government built a matching pair of oval rooms in the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris, France. This became a permanent installation of eight murals of Water Lillies. Unfortunately, Monet died a few months after the opening.

Thames Below Westminster is considered the best artwork of London, England by Monet. The painting depicts London on a foggy day.

Woman with a Parasol depicts Madame Monet and her son. The painting of Camille and Jean was painted on a summer's day near their house in Argenteuil, a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France.

The Poppy Field is among Monet's most famous paintings. Also painted in Argenteuil it depicts his wife and son against a lovely natural landscape.

The Cliff Walk at Pourville was painted in 1882. It depicts a scene along the coast of Pourville-sur-Mer, a small village in Normandy, France. Figures are walking along the edge of a cliff that overlooks the sea below.