Claude Monet
Claude Monet is probably my favorite artist / painter of all time in fact I have several of his paintings, well actually reprints in my home. ... Claude Oscar Monet, known as the “father of impressionism” was born in Paris on November 14, 1840 and moved to La Havre at the age of five, where he grew up. ... In 1859 Monet moves to Paris where he enters the Academie Suisse where he also meets Pissaro and Courbet. ... Monet later states that the time spent here would play a significant role in the way he uses color and light. ... In 1866 Monet paints “Women in the Garden” which is one of the many oil on canvas paintings that had already began to show his trademark of short brushstrokes for overall effect instead of detail. ... In 1867 Monet’s first son Jean Monet is born. ... In 1868 Monet tries to commit suicide, perhaps in response to critics or maybe because of the fact that he is literally a starving artist. ... While in London Monet meets Durand-Ruel and sees the paintings of William Turner in the London Museum. ... They hold their first exhibition at the studio of Nadar on April 14th 1874, where they receive the name “impressionist’s” based on one of Monet’s own paintings titled “Impression: Sunrise” which he painted in1872. ... While in Argenteuil Monet spends the winter of 1875 painting snow scenes and by 1877 he will have painted twelve scenes of St-Lazare station. These series of paintings and others like them will be what Monet becomes best known for. It is not until the 1890’s that Monet begins to receive a comfortable income from his series paintings (Grieves). In 1878 Monet’s second son Michel is born. ... Finally in 1883 Monet and his family move to Giverny, about fifty kilometers outside of Paris, where they rent a house. ... ” The public begins to recognize the value of Monet’s paintings sometime after the 1880’s and as sales improve Monet also gets a chance to exhibits his work in New York in 1887, thanks to long time friend Durand-Ruel. ... Monet begins his many “series paintings” using haystacks and poplars. ... In 1892 Monet remarries while he continues to work on his series paintings and travels abroad extensively. ... Monet builds a studio in his garden to protect himself from the weather so he can better work on his paintings of the water lilies and Japanese bridge. ... By 1923 Monet is practically blind and although he has a cataract removed from one eye it is painfully obvious from the colors of his painting that he is struggling to finish them (Mount). Monet is still painting in 1926 and continues to until his death on December 5th from lung cancer.