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Claude Monet - Father of Impressionism

Throughout the ages, there have been only a handful of artists whose work has really stood out. Da Vinci, Van Gough, Picasso, and others are among this elite group of great individuals. One of these people is Claude Monet, a French painter who assisted in promoting a newer style from his time – Impressionism. His various short brushstrokes and dabs of pure color help create his blurry yet beautiful works.

Claude Oscar Monet was born on November 14th, 1840 in Paris. He spent most of his youth, however, in the city of Le Havre. During his adolescence, he excelled in drawing caricatures of others, and was able to make an ample amount of capitol off of his developing artistic talent. It was at the age of seventeen that he met Eugène Boudin, who went on to become his first mentor. Eugène was one of the main influences on Monet’s artwork, encouraging him to paint landscapes, and to paint outdoors. Having earned sufficient funds from his caricatures, Claude went to Atelier Suisse, an art school in Paris, at the age of eighteen. He did well there, and formed many friendships. Many of these companions later became the developers of Impressionism. About five years later, Monet and his friends submitted some artwork to the Salon, a well-known French painting organization. Though they were turned away, they kept trying, relentlessly doing the same every year. Later, the group would open their own studio, and enjoy great success with the critics of their time. In 1870, Claude married Camille Doncieux, and lived with little money in Argenteuil. He ended up moving very often, traveling to Vétheuil and Giverny. Monet painted for all of his life. His most productive years spanned for most of his life, from 1879 to 1926, the year of his death. Even in his final year, he still painted, though with failing eyesight. He died on December 5th, 1926 at the age of 86, living a long life full of the beauties of art.

As interesting as Claude Monet’s life was his style of painting – Impressionism. All of his most famous works were painted using that style, including his most famous, Waterlilies and Japanese Bridge. Using the elements of art, Impressionism can be described fairly precisely. These six elements – color, line, shape, value, space and texture are all uniquely put to use in this style. In terms of color, bright, warm ones were commonly used. Claude Monet himself liked to place dabs of pure color next to each other, so as to let the viewer’s eye mix them. In Impressionism, detail was never extremely precise. Short brushstrokes were regularly used, so that the painting never seemed “solid”. Then there were the shapes that were used. They were almost always less obvious to the observer, so that some paintings looked almost abstract from certain angles. They were often subtle, sort of hidden within the blurry work. Impressionistic paintings were often darker in value, with only a few bright areas. When it came to use of space, it got a bit blurry. Impressionistic works tended to sort of fade towards the background, and it was often tough to make out. It was sometimes hard to distinguish between those three areas of the piece, even though they are present. Finally, there is the texture of Impressionism. Most paintings using this particular style seemed somewhat blurred, as if looking at the world through glass. It is a very unique way of painting, and Claude Monet did it especially well.

Claude Monet lived an inspiring life, filling many people with wonder and awe with his many artworks. His life was filled with the beauties of the world, taking inspiration from Mother Nature herself and giving many a person a glimpse at the stunning aspects of our planet. Claude Monet was a great artist, and his spirit lives on today in his many great works.