Monet Wall Art Prints

If there is to be a father of impressionism form of painting, it can be none other than the French painter Osacr Claude Monet. Born and brought up in Paris, France on November 14, 1840, Monet leads the path for other impressionists during the 19th and 20th century.

Early years:

Monet was born in Paris and attended Le Havre secondary school of the arts. He learned painting from Jacques-Francois Ochard, who himself was a student of Jacques-Louis David. But unlike his other contemporary painter, he did not receive much. He made various charcoal caricatures which fetched him fame in the art school.

He grew deft at the art of painting with watercolours and on canvas but was naive much to the concept of oil colours and this painting style. Monet then studied under Eugéne Boudin, who introduced him to painting with oil paints and shared with him his style of “en plein air” or ‘outside’ style of painting in which the painter seats himself outside in the landscape and gets exposed to nature and draws the scenic beauty over there.

The Call of Art:

Monet, in his youth, fell in love with two young ladies simultaneously whom he later married. After the consecutive death of the two wives, his health becomes unstable and gloomy, both mentally and physically. But this boosted his art career more as the artforms became more abstract unlike the signature style of painting in that era which was Realism. Realism was a more practical form of painting style which focused more on the portrayal of the political and social facade of that time.

Later, the style in which Monet painted came to be known as Impressionism derived by his famous painting ‘Impression, Sunrise’. It was a style more vivid and abstract which focused more on colour and light scheme rather than being real or true.

A trivia related to Impressionism arises from the fact that the art critic Lenoy who described Monet’s Sunrise as ‘unfinished and looked like an Impression’, ended up making the mockery into providing the name of the style of painting. Monet’s early styles focused on lighting and colour palette. While later on, the limelight shifted on detailed and sophisticated brush stroke work.

Famous Artworks:

Monet being an Impressionist paid special heed to the colour and light scheme adorned with heavy brush strokes filled with finesse. However many old school art collectors initially regarded the artworks of Monet as unfinished and impetuous, until late when they came to admit that it was a transition from Realism to Post-Impressionism and Fauvism. The famous paintings include:

IMPRESSION, SUNRISE

This piece of art leads to the naming of the movement Impressionism. The centre with the boat looks more done as compared to the peripheral sea image with loose strokes and flowy texture of the Painting.

WATER LILIES

The colour play of this series of painting is absolutely brilliant in all aspects. Combined with fine brushing details and use of the different colour scheme for every painting makes it one of the best artworks of Monet.

WOMAN WITH A PARASOL

Many of Monet’s paintings are the portrait of his first wife, Camille, and this painting is one of them. The use of light and shadows is stark and moving.

THE WOMAN IN THE GREEN DRESS

This painting was among the first paintings of Monet, and it brought him in the spotlight and earnings. This was again the portrait of Camille. This painting, however, was made in a Realist style.

LILY POND

Monet experimented with Japonisme in this art piece.
Various other paintings were POPLAR SERIES and HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT SERIES which were numerous yet beautiful depiction of usage of different chromic patterns on the same frame.

Influences:

Monet’s influence came on major terms by his impressionist painter peers like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and the Impressionist circle. The influence of Eugéne Boudin and ‘en plein air’ was also humongous, on Monet. Eugene Boudin was himself a well renowned for his ‘Outside’ landscape and scenic capturing style.

Later years:

Upon the death of Camille, Monet’s first wife due to tuberculosis added to uterine cancer in 1879, Monet grew fond of colours and found solace in painting even more to cure his aching heart of the grief of his lover’s death.

Monet then moved to Vètheuil to experience the French Countryside life, where later he married Alice Hoschedé who earlier helped Monet to raise his two sons along with her children in Vétheuil and Paris. During his old age, he suffered from cataract and losing eyesight reflected on his later works. Monet died of lung cancer on 5 December 1926 at the age of 86 and is buried in the Giverny church cemetery.