Claude Monet (b.1840 Paris - d.1926 Giverny) | 5178

Claude Monet was a French painter, born in Paris in 1840, who is regarded as one of the most significant figures in Impressionism. In his youth, he settled on the Normandy coast in Le Havre, where he gained local recognition as a caricaturist. It was there that he met Eugène Boudin, who introduced him to plein air painting, which would prove crucial in his career.

Monet moved to Paris in 1862, where he befriended fellow artists such as Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille, forming the core group of Impressionists. His works from the 1870s, primarily created in Argenteuil, depicted light and atmospheric phenomena in landscapes along the Seine. In 1874, his painting "Impression, Sunrise" gained fame, and from that moment on, the term "Impressionism" began to be associated with this artistic movement.

In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny, where he created magnificent gardens that inspired over 250 of his works, including his famous series of water lilies. His technique was characterized by spontaneous brushstrokes and a quest to capture ephemeral effects of light. Claude Monet passed away in 1926, leaving behind a rich artistic legacy that has had a lasting impact on the development of painting.