Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Born: November 14, 1840
Died: 1926
Nationality: French

Biography of Claude Monet

Regarded as the greatest landscape painter among the Impressionists, Claude Monet is responsible for perfecting the distinctive Impressionist landscape technique. Rapidly applying large drops of pure color to canvas, Monet managed to set the standard for conveying the atmosphere and the effects of light at certain times of the day. Monet was born in Paris on November 14, 1840. He spent most of his childhood in Le Havre and studied drawing as a teenager. By 1859, he had committed himself to becoming an artist and began to spend as much time in Paris as possible. Working outside most of the time, Monet painted landscapes and scenes of contemporory middle-class society. It was also at this time that he finally began to have success at official exhibitions. As Monet continued to work, his style continually changed. In 1874, after concluding that it was a waste of time to send paintings to the Salon, Monet and fellow artists organized their own exhibition. It was here that they were labeled Impressionists because their work seemed sketchy and unfinished, much like that of a first impression. By the mid-1880s, Monet had achieved status as the leader of the Impressionist school. He purchased property in the village of Giverny, near Paris, and began to construct a water garden, which would become the focus of many paintings. Monet continued to paint his famous lily pond and Japanese bridge even after his eyesight began to fail. He painted until his death on December 6, 1926, at Giverny. Today art lovers around the world worship Monet – the father of Impressionism.