ArtistoPedia

ArtistoPedia

Self-Portrait

"For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value."
-Claude Monet-
“The Driving Force behind Impressionism”

A rustic pathway protected with the dark shadows of hanging branches. These shadows are disturbed with the favors of nature in the form of daylight. This daylight is mesmerizingly distributed around the floral arrangement that surrounds the pathway. An art work whose clean and floral fragrance can be felt! #PathwayinMonetsGardeninGiverny

A healthy treat painted on a white cloth. A fruit basket probably calling for breakfast. Apples and Grapes scattered beautifully inviting a satisfied meal. An art work, undoubtedly delicious! #StillLifeApplesandGrapes

   

       

Pathway in Monet Gardens

 

Still Life Apples and Grapes

Born on 14^th November 1840 in Paris, Claude Monet, also known as Oscar-Claude Monet or Claude Oscar Monet was while a regular guy who wanted to earn a decent living for his family, was also a genius who made his name with Impressionism. The word Impressionism is derived from the title of his beautiful creation “Impression Sunrise”. The more artistic his thoughts were, less was his father’s support to creativity who wanted Claude to join the Grocery Business. But Claude had different dreams, different visions, which he wanted to express through colors and canvasses. He was sent to secondary school of Arts on 1^st April 1851. Son of a Singer Mother who died when he was 16, he went to live with a widowed childless aunt, Marie-Jeanne Lecadre.

Monet’s Approach to Art-

In the initial school days, he became popular for his Charcoal Caricatures. He also started selling them at the age of 15 for 10 to 20 francs, which is equivalent to 672 to

The-Beach-At-Sainte-Adresse

1,344 Indian Rupees. He has also taken drawing lessons from Jacques-François Ochard, another 19th century well-known painter. Around 1856/1857 he met a fellow artist Eugène Boudin who taught him to use oil paints. Under his guidance he learnt the beautiful “En plein air” technique. In 1862, with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille, and Alfred Sisley, he shared this new approach to art, painting the nature with broken color and rapid brushstrokes. This later came to be known as Impressionism. This technique was also used by many other French Impressionist Painters.

“En plein air”
The technique meaning “in the open air”, describes the act of painting outdoors of what the eyes actually sees. Claude, who never liked modern art and found traditional one boring, advocated painting in the natural light. He could nicely express perceptions before nature. Monet travelled to Paris to visit The Louvre (one of the world’s largest Museum and a historic Monument in Paris), where he witnessed painters copying from the old masters. But this was surely not Claude’s style. With his Painting Tools, he preferred sitting by a window and paint what his eyes actually saw. His style and attitude towards Nature was different. His vision towards Art was a unique one. He would never mind breaking the Painterly Traditions to create an artistic approach. He was an atheist and loved painting his wife and family. He also painted his wife on bed the day she died because of tuberculosis.

Madame Monet and Child

Monet was gifted with close observation intellects and naturalistic representation. Though his two wives, former Camille and later Alice, were his beloved models, he would also gather Random Subjects from whatever comes around and fill his paintings with Vibrant and Unmediated use of Colors. Not just his Subject, but also the colors would look alive. He would add Brightness and tones of Shadows in his work. (Only through his Brushes and Paints and not the shortcuts of Photoshop).

Monet’s Series-

While many would just know painting the sky blue and grass green, Monet believed in painting nature at different time zones and different weather conditions. He also painted different series of work. Haystacks, one of his Series was painted from different points of view and at different times of the day. Fifteen of the paintings were exhibited at the Galerie Durand-Ruel in 1891. In 1892, he produced what probably is his best-known series, twenty-six views of Rouen Cathedral. In these paintings only a portion of façade could be seen on the canvas. The paintings do not focus on the grand medieval building, but on the play of light and shade across its surface. Other series include Poplars, Mornings on the Seine, and the Water Lilies that were painted on his property at Giverny. He also painted landmarks, landscapes, and seascapes, including a series of paintings in Venice. In London he painted four series: the Houses of Parliament, London, Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, and Views of Westminster Bridge. He gave the world a superb record of the passing of time through his series of paintings. However the correct number is not known, over 2.500

Haystack at Giverny3

paintings, drawings and pastels have been attributed to Claude. A few of his works were destroyed or lost. He also struggles in the last years of his survival. Claude also told a friend that he wishes to destroy all his painting and disappear. He once also attempted to commit Suicide due to financial reasons. Despite his feelings of despair, he continued working on his paintings until his final days.

Monet’s Water-Lily Blooming Forever
Monet’s final series was focused only upon the Picturesque Water-Lily Pond which he created on his Property in Giverny. He died of lung cancer on December 5, 1926 at the age of 86, wealthy and well respected and is buried in the Giverny church cemetery. Monet had insisted that the occasion be simple; thus about 50 people attended the ceremony. Over his last 30 years, he painted about 250 oil paintings. In spite of having

Water Lily Pond

a severe cataract, with his limited vision he could remarkably paint accurate details. Shortly after Monet died the French government installed his last water-lily series in specially constructed galleries at the Orangerie in Paris, where they still remain…!
Today the Brilliant Artist may not be with us, but his Vibrant Work would survive forever. He one said “My only merit lies in having painted directly in front of nature, seeking to render my impressions of the most fleeting effects”, which is beautifully true! He broke the old Conventions of Paintings. Since 1980, Monet's Giverny home has housed the Claude Monet Foundation.