Claude Monet

Claude Monet is one of the founders of French Impressionism. The term Impressionism comes from the title of one of his paintings, 'Impression, Sunrise'. This painting hung in one of the first impressionist exhibition. This style was not well liked by mainstream art critics and one of them termed it "impressionism", this was meant as an insult but the artists appropriated this term for themselves.

Monet started out drawing and selling charcoal charicatures. He later took drawing lessons and art classes. Eventually he was mentored and taught to use oil paints.

Monet was married to Camille Doncieux, who was the subject of many of his paintings: 'The Woman in the Green Dress', 'The Woman in the Garden', 'On the Bank of the Seine'. And others.

After Camille's death, Monet married Alice. Together with her 6 children and his 2, they moved to Giverny. They rented a house and were eventually able to buy the house, barn/studio, and surrounding land. Now that Monet's fortune had changed, with the help of his dealer (Paul Durand Ruel). He was having great success selling his paintings. Monet was then able to create beautiful gardens, ponds, and greenhouses for his own enjoyment and inspiration. Much of his later works were "series" paintings. He would paint a subject in varying light, weather, time of day and from different focal points. some of his "series" work included: Haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, Poplars, House of Parlament, Seine, and Water Lilies.