Claude Monet - The Founder of French Impressionist Painting

Claude Monet or Oscar-Claude Monet or Claude Oscar Monet, was a famous painter, who is also known as the founder of French Impressionist painting. Born on November 14, 1840 in Paris, Monet was baptized into the Local church to Oscar Claude. Claude Monet's father wanted him to help in the family grocery business. Claude however was always interested in art. In 1845 Monet's family shifted base to Le Havre, Normandy.

Claude Monet took admission in the Le Havre Secondary School of the Arts on April 01, 1851. Here he earned fame for his Charcoal Caricatures, which he used to sell for some 10 to 20 Francs. The painter took his primary drawing lessons from Jacques-François Ochard. In the year 1856-1857, Claude met his fellow artist, Eugene Boudin on the beaches of Normandy. Later on, Eugene Boudin became Monet's mentor and taught him the use of oil paints and the outdoor techniques of painting.

Monet stayed in Paris for many years. Here he met several painters, who went on to become his friends and fellow Impressionists. In June 1861, he joined the First Regiment of African Light Cavalry in Algeria. However, during his term here, Claude was detected of Typhoid, owing to which, his aunt forced him to leave the Cavalry and join an art course. Disappointed by the traditional, mundane art taught at art universities, the artist became a student of Charles Gleyre in Paris, in the year 1862. Here he also met Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille, and Alfred Sisley, who explored new approaches to art. They painted the effects of light with the help of broken and quick brushstrokes. This expression of art eventually came to be known as Impressionism.

In 1856, Claude Monet's painting, "The Woman in the Green Dress (La Femme à la Robe Verte)," achieved a lot of fame. The painting just like his many other works, featured his future wife Camille Doncieux. He and Camille got married on June 28, 1870. Soon after, Claude painted Impression, "Sunrise" (1872/1873). In early 1880s, Monet painted several landscapes and seascapes. Late 1880s posed some of the worst incidents in his life. His wife became ill with Tuberculosis in 1876 when she was pregnant with her second child. She died on September 05, 1879. A heartbroken and depressed Monet began to create paintings, which were recognized as some of the best artworks of 19th century.

In May 1883, he rented a house in Upper Normandy, which was centrally situated, with local schools near-by and the surroundings offering endless array for his works. The family of Monet worked hard and built up gardens. Here Monet continued with his paintings. Soon, his financial state began to improve. His paintings registered an enormous increase in sales. The beginning of 1880s and 1890s, through the end of his life in 1926, he worked on many series of paintings wherein he depicted varying light and weather conditions.

In the year 1883 and 1908, Claude Monet visited Mediterranean, where he painted landscapes, landmarks, and seascapes. "Bordighera" was also produced in this series only. Then in Venice, Italy, he painted another famous series of his, while in London he created the series, "Views of Parliament" and "Views of Charing Cross Bridge." Monet started to develop cataract and despite two operations, his vision stayed affected. He died at the age of 86, on December 5, 1926 due to lung cancer.

Source : Ezinearticles