Monet

Claude Monet (1840–1926) was a French painter and a central figure in the development of Impressionism. He and a circle of artists sought to capture the perception of a moment in time, emphasizing the effects of light, atmosphere, and color over precise detail.

Monet began his career in Le Havre and Paris, studying with Charles Gleyre and painting en plein air with contemporaries such as Renoir, Sisley, and Bazille. His early works featured a looser brushwork that would become a hallmark of Impressionism. The 1872 painting Impression, Sunrise inspired the term "Impressionism" when critic Louis Leroy used the label in a satirical review of the first independent show by Monet and his peers.

Monet produced several renowned series that explored how weather, light, and season alter perception of a motif. His haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and Water Lilies cycles reveal gradual shifts in color and mood across multiple canvases. In 1883 he settled at Giverny, where he created a celebrated water garden with a lily pond and a Japanese-style bridge, subjects that dominated his work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the death of his first wife Camille, he married Alice Hoschedé in 1892 and continued to paint prolifically.

Monet’s influence extends beyond his individual works; his focus on perceptual phenomena and his painterly technique helped shape modern art. Today his works are held in major museums worldwide, with the Water Lilies and Rouen Cathedral series among his best-known cycles. He died at his home in Giverny, leaving a lasting legacy in the history of art.