Friday

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Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)

Claude Oscar Monet was born on November 14, 1840 in Paris. Five years after Monet’s birth, his father (Adolphe Monet) moved the family to a seaport near the Normandy Coast called Le Havre. Monet described later in life that in his childhood years he always had an interest in the ocean and the landscapes he saw in Le Havre.

As an adolescent, Monet enjoyed painting funny and amusing caricatures of his teachers and classmates, and Monet was able to sell his collection for 2000 francs. After this, his father and aunt probably realized that Monet had enough talent to make a living at painting. Unlike many fathers who had aspiring artists for sons, Monet’s father did not interfere with his efforts to become an artist, although it’s probably true that he wanted his son to finish school even more.

Early in his life, Monet seemed destined to seek inspiration from other artists and teachers. Through his schooling in the arts, he met other famous names like Renoir and Manet. By his 20’s, Monet had no financial or social support from any of his family members. Throughout his younger years, Monet had to borrow money from Bazille in order to have money for daily necessities. And for at least his younger years, constant outside financial support was always a constant.

The road to success was long and hard for Claude Monet. Like all the Impressionists of his time, Monet had trouble selling his paintings because the Salons always rejected his paintings. In 1874, Monet and other artists decided to open an independent exhibition in order to survive the rejection of the Salons. At this time, Monet began to achieve more and more success. He received work through commissions, and was able to afford new homes and farms, where he also made more paintings. In the 1900’s, a simple picture of a haystack (seen above) could draw enormous money into Monet’s pocket.

Toward the later end of his life, Monet began work on his water lilies, perhaps his more famous works. He even painted a huge set of canvases that were made specifically for a space in Paris’ Orangerie. His work toward the end of his life represented a tireless painter continuing to express the freest possible art through an impression.

Claude Monet was always a character who did what he wanted to. Often times, the artists would disobey his father, his aunt, and even those vital to his prosperity. Monet always looked to his art, and the amount of money his art could earn. Monet never allowed himself to be shortchanged. He often put a sold sign on his work to make it appear that his work was in high demand.

Monet was always a person that never had enough of anything. He could never appreciated the light way he portrayed light in his paintings. He also felt he never had enough money. Monet always had to borrow money from his friends. To be a friend of Monet not only meant to give oneself socially and freely, but to give oneself financially. Monet often wrote to his wealthy friend Bazille stating that he and his wife were out of money and needed assistance as soon as possible.

Claude Monet had lived a productive life for an artist when he died in 1926. Most of his works are in museums around the world. He had remained a loyal member of Impressionism well over forty years, and you can see how evident this is when you read a statement he wrote only six months before his death. "In the end the only merit I have is to have painted directly from nature." Today, Claude Monet has become a household name and a cherished commodity for everyone who enjoys art and of course, Impressionism.