Claude Monet was a French painter best known as the founder of Impressionism. This revolutionary art movement changed the way artists captured the fleeting beauty of the world around them.
He was widely recognized for his innovative approach to painting light and color, especially in his landscapes and seascapes.
Monet’s iconic Water Lilies paintings, created in his garden at Giverny, cemented his status as a master of Impressionism and a key figure in history. art history.
File
- Full name: Oscar-Claude Monet
- Date of birth: November 14, 1840
- Age as of 2024: 184 (possible)
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Paris, France
- Nationality: French
- Occupation: Painter
- Height: Not applicable
- Parents: Claude Adolphe Monet (father), Louise Justine Aubrée Monet (mother)
- Siblings: Léon Pascal Monet (older brother)
- Spouse: Camille Doncieux (married 1870, died 1879), Alice Hoschedé (married 1892)
- Children: Jean Monet, Michel Monet
- Relationship status: N/A (dead)
- Religion: Atheist
- Ethnicity: French
- Net worth: 2 million USD
Early life and education
Claude Monet, who would have been 184 years old in 2024, was born on November 14, 1840 in Paris, France. His family moved to Le Havre in Normandy when he was five years old.
As a boy, he showed an early interest in art, especially drawing. He attended Le Havre High School of the Arts. While his mother supported his artistic inclinations, his father wanted him to pursue a career in business.
Monet’s early artistic development was significantly influenced by Eugène Boudin, a landscape painter, who introduced him to painting outdoors or en plein air. This approach would become a defining characteristic of Impressionism. Monet also spent time in Paris, studying art and meeting other artists who would later become his fellow Impressionists.
Personal life
Monet was married twice. First, he married Camille Doncieux, the mother of his two sons, Jean and Michel. Camille died tragically in 1879. Monet then married Alice Hoschedé, with whom he had a complicated relationship that lasted many years.
Monet was a devoted father and an enthusiastic gardener. His famous garden at Giverny, which he began cultivating in the 1880s, became the inspiration for his art, especially his famous series of Water Lilies.
Career
Claude Monet’s career spanned several decades and saw the evolution of his artistic style from his early Realist works to his later more abstract Impressionist paintings .
He began exhibiting his paintings in the 1860s, but his participation in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 launched his career and the Impressionist movement.
Monet’s dedication to capturing the transient effects of light and atmosphere led him to paint the same subject over and over again in different lighting conditions, as seen in the Haystacks series, Rouen Cathedral and his Water Lilies.
prize
- Legion of Honor (1889)
Net worth
Monet’s net worth during his lifetime was approximately $2 million. Although he went through periods of financial difficulty, especially in the early stages of his career, he later achieved considerable success and his paintings were sought after by collectors. Today, his works are among the most valuable in the world, achieving sky-high prices at auctions.
Death
Claude Monet died in Giverny, France, on December 5, 1926, at the age of 86. He left behind a legacy that continues to inspire and influence artists worldwide.
His innovative approach to painting and profound understanding of light and color revolutionized the art world. It cemented his position as one of the most important figures in art history.