Art Guide · Painters
Claude Monet
1840–1926
Claude Monet (1840–1926) is the French painter regarded as the founder of Impressionism. The movement took its name from his Impression, Sunrise (1872); he is famous for his water lilies painted at Giverny.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
Life
He was born in Paris and grew up in Le Havre on the Normandy coast. As a teenager he was known for his caricatures; the landscape painter Eugène Boudin encouraged him to paint outdoors. In Paris he befriended Renoir, Sisley and Bazille.
In 1874 he and his friends staged an independent exhibition outside the official Salon. Mocking the title of Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, the critic Louis Leroy called the group “Impressionists”, and the name stuck.
In 1883 he settled at Giverny, where he designed his garden and the water-lily pond with its Japanese bridge. In the last thirty years of his life he painted around 250 water-lily pictures. Cataracts affected his perception of colour in old age. He died at Giverny in 1926.
Style
Monet’s real subject was not things but the light falling on them. He caught the moment with quick, short strokes and unmixed colours laid side by side. His series, painting the same motif – haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament in London – at different times of day and year, came out of this pursuit.
Key works
Impression, Sunrise (1872), Poppy Field (1873), Woman with a Parasol (1875), The Magpie (1868–69), the Houses of Parliament series (1900–1905) and the Water Lilies. The largest water-lily panels hang in oval rooms designed for them at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris.
Key works
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Frequently asked questions
Where does the name Impressionism come from?
From Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, shown at the 1874 exhibition. The critic Louis Leroy used the word to mock the group; the artists later adopted it.
How many water lilies did Monet paint?
Around 250, over the last thirty years of his life.