Claude Monet

Claude lost his mother in 1857, when he was just 17. This led to great misery in Claude’s life, since she was the only person back then who was very supportive of his artistic skills.

Camille, the model of Claude’s famous paintings such as ’The Woman in Green’ and ‘Women in The Garden’, was the first woman in his life. She was pregnant with their first child in 1868.

In 1870, Claude and Camille got married. They had two children named Jean and Michel. Post marriage, the couple, along with their first child moved to England, after the Franco-Prussian war broke out. Claude continued using his wife as a model in several of his paintings.

Claude Monet was born on 14 November 1840 to Louise Justine Aubr�e Monet and Claude Adolphe Monet. Claude was the second son born to the Monet couple. His father was a businessman and his mother was a singer. In 1841 Claude’s parents got him baptised and named his Oscar Claude Monet.

Claude’s father wanted him to become a part of the family business, and manage their grocery store. However Claude aspired to become a painter. His decision to pursue art had initially disappointed Claude’s father.

In 1851, Monet pursued his education in arts from ‘Le Havre secondary school of the arts’. While studying, Claude also made several caricatures using charcoal, and sold them in exchange for money. He was well-known for many such charcoal caricature works.

In 1856, Claude met the famous French landscape painter Eugene Brodin, while wandering around the beaches of Normandy. Claude considered Eugene his mentor, a man who helped him polish his artistry skills. It was Eugene who introduced Claude to oil paints, which changed the latter’s approach towards art.

In 1861, Claude joined the first regiment of ‘The African Light Cavalry’. Though he had a seven-year commitment with the cavalry, Claude had to quit after just 2 years, since he had contracted typhoid. It is believed that Claude’s aunt and the famous painter Johan Jongkind had a role to play in bringing him out of the army.

In 1865, Claude participated at the ‘Salon’, an annual art show, which was held at Paris. Two of Claude’s marine landscape paintings were selected. Though his work won Claude a lot of admiration, he couldn’t earn much through his work.

In 1866, Claude Monet presented one of his most famous works ‘Camille’ which was also known as ‘Woman in The Green Dress’ at the ‘Salon’ art show. The painting won Claude many accolades, and turned out to be a milestone in Claude’s career.

By 1868, Claude was in an acute financial crisis which led to depression and suicidal tendencies. Luckily he found a patron in the form of Louis Joachim Guadibert. Guadibert’s interest in Monet’s work, made the latter more financially stable.

In 1870, Claude along with his family shifted base to England, following the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war. During his stay here, Monet observed the works of other artists like Joseph Mallord William Turner and John Constable. Through their paintings Monet got a whole new perspective about use of colours. Claude also met Paul Durand- Ruel during his stay in London. Paul was the painter’s first art dealer.

One of Claude’s works which has made him one of the legendary artists of all time is the ‘Impression, Sunrise’. This painting showed how ‘Havre’s Harbor’ looks during the morning fog. The work seemed like an incomplete sketch, compared to the other paintings of those days. This work of Monet’s, was considered unusual by many critics, who coined a new term for such kind of art, known as ‘Impressionism’