Who is Claude Monet? (Biography Project)

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If you don't know who Claude Monet is, Claude Monet is a famous French painter whose work gave a name to the art movement Impressionism, which was concerned with capturing light and natural forms.

## Early Life

Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840, Paris, France. His family later moved to Le Havre where Claude grew up. At an early age, Claude was happy and interested in nature and the way sunlight illuminated the meadows and fields of wheat.

## Personal Life

In school, Claude was bored. He’d rather spend time in nature rather than listen to what he’s learning. He was a very disrespectful student but in a funny way. He made disrespectful caricatures of his teachers. Claude’s dad wanted Claude to be a grocer, but Claude refused and continued his career in art. While Claude was growing up in Le Havre, he developed a good reputation as a charcoal impressionist.

## Major Accomplishments

In 1861, Monet joined the army for a seven-year stint in Algeria. But, after two years, illness enabled him to leave the army. In 1870, Monet married, and shortly after, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war encouraged him to flee to London. After a while, he spent time in Holland before returning to Paris. He settled in Paris by the river Seine, where he was in close contact with other artists of a similar outlook. These included Auguste Renoir, Sisley, Gustave and Manet. He built a small boathouse and used it to go on the Seine to paint the people and scenes of the river bank. As his painting developed, he used new techniques such as building up images using dots or strokes which blurred the definite outline of the subject. His palette focused on warm colours, generally excluding, black and browns. Asked in 1905, Monet downplayed the importance of colour choice but said: “The point is to know how to use the colors, the choice of which is, when all’s said and done, a matter of habit. Anyway, I use flake white, cadmium yellow, vermilion, deep madder, cobalt blue, emerald green, and that’s all.”

## Interesting Facts

Claude’s artistic talent was evident at an early age. Claude served as a soldier in Algeria. In his 20s, Claude was so frustrated with life that he jumped into the seine. Claude indirectly helped coin the term “Impressionism”.  Claude’s 2nd wife was jealous of his first wife. Claude imported his water lilies from around the world. Claude paid a gardener to dust his water lilies. Claude’s critics mocked his vision problems. In 2015, The world discovered a new monet pastel. Tourists can visit his home and gardens.

## Where Is He Now?

During the First World War, he became close to Georges Clemenceau, the French Prime Minister at the time. At the end of World War I, he painted a series of weeping willows out of respect for the many Frenchmen who died in the conflict. After the war, Monet suffered a painful deterioration in his eyesight and had to have his cataracts removed. However, despite his disability, he continued to paint and continued to develop new styles and techniques. Monet was one of the greatest modern painters. His output was prolific and he continued to develop and innovate throughout his long artistic life. His paintings are evocative of a rural ideal and the pristine beauty of nature. From Monet and the impressionist’s innovation, it opened up radical new approaches for the next generation of artists. He died of lung cancer in December 1926, aged 86.

## Bibliography Sources

#1

Pettingter, Tejvan. “Biography Of Claude Monet” Published December 22, 2009. Last Updated March 2, 2020. Link: https://www.biographyonline.net/artists/claude-monet.html

#2

Raga, Suzanne. “11 Fascinating Facts About Claude Monet”. Published November 14, 2017. Link: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/88542/11-impressionistic-facts-about-claude-monet