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Claude Monet By Sadhana Anchoori
Art History Honors
Childhood
Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840, in Paris France. His full name is Oscar-Claude Monet. Monet was a French painter who was a strong advocate for the Impressionist style. In his childhood, Monet and his family moved to the Normandy coast where he took over the family's dealing in supplies and equipment along with their grocery business. Due to these businesses, Monet spent a lot of his free time on the beaches. He learned a lot about the sea and the Norman weather.
At only 15 years old, Monet became a success. He sold some caricatures, which are paintings or drawings where the person's features are overly exaggerated or distorted. While also starting to become an artist, he drew lots of naval images such as ships and the sea. One of his biggest inspirations was his aunt, Marie Jeanne Lecadre who painted a bit. However, his biggest inspiration was a local artist who taught him a lot of the styles he uses now.
Eugene Boudin was the first one to introduce Monet to painting with nature and in real air. This helped Monet focus on ways to change his perception of his paintings and drawings and helped improve his technique. In 1859 he was inspired by the paintings of Charles Daubigny and Constant Troyon. He then worked at an art school in Paris called the Academie Suisse. His art training was interrupted when he had to go to the military from 1861 to 1862.
After joining the military and getting influenced by lots of African color and culture, he got back into painting and painted lots of natural scenes. He continued to study in Paris where he got influenced by other painters and artists. He started using Japanese prints as well and other techniques of painting that that an influence on the development of modern French paintings.
Background InformationImpressionism
Claude Monet used the impressionism style of painting and was a very strong advocate for this style. For this style, color and light were at the forefront of every image/painting. If there were any humans or other figures that were depicted in the painting, they would be the background of the image. He portrayed color and nature in many unique ways, using European and Mediterranean styles.
Some people who helped and influenced Monet were Boudin and Johan Barthold Jongkind. Boudin caused him to go out of his comfort area of only painting caricatures. This led Monet to learn how to make oil paintings and landscape paintings. Johan Barthold Jongkind influences Claude to use the subjective perception of light.
The Impressionism art movement was a style of painting that developed in France in the mid to late 19th century. This style included using small brushstrokes and making the colors seem unblinded to focus on the depiction of natural light.
Artists Style of Painting"Woman with a Parasol"
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"The Water Lily Pond" was another one of my personal favorites. This is because of the vibrant colors from the pond and the painting in general. The reflection and use of shadows and the same colors add a lot of dimension to the painting. Along with this, the nature is the background of the painting while the bridge is the main part. This really shows impressionism very well. Along with this, the short strokes and blurry lines are also important and pretty. Personal Favorite Paintings "Woman with a Parasol" was one of my favorite paintings by Claude Monet. This is due to the colors and the vibrance of the painting. The small unblinded strokes and the shading add a lot to the painting and cause it to look a lot more vibrant and radiant. I also like the use of the blues and greens as it adds contrast. It should also be noted that nature is the main focus point of the painting while the person is mostly blurred and is a background.
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, March 23). Claude Monet. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Monet
Artble. (2017, July 19). Claude Monet style and technique. https://www.artble.com/artists/claude_monet/more_information/style_and_technique
The ARTISWHO inspired Monet and the artists inspired by Monet: Museum Quality Art Reproductions. The ArtisWho Inspired Monet and The Artists Inspired by Monet | Museum Quality Art Reproductions. (n.d.). https://www.handmadepiece.com/support/famous-artists-paintings/the-artist-who-inspired-monet-and-the-artists-inspired-by-monet.html#:~:text=Boudin%20urged%20him%20to%20paint,well%20as%20Johan%20Barthold%20Jongkind.
Impressionism movement overview. The Art Story. (n.d.). https://www.theartstory.org/movement/impressionism/
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