Claude Oscar Monet, the famous, French painter was born in 1840. He pioneered the impressionist art movement in the late 1800s and created hundreds of his famous works during that time. The impressionist art movement focused on capturing light and natural forms.
After an art exhibition at the start of Monets painting career, A critic dubbed Monet's style as "impressionism," since his art was more concerned with form and the light surrounding the objects and scenery rather than focusing on realism. The term stuck.
Before Monet was known for his impressionistic style of art he was famous locally for his caricatures. The characature to the right is an example of what might be displayed in the window of an art supply shop in his childhood hometown of Le Havre.
Later on in his art career in 1872, a critic saw this early painting of Monet's called Impressionism Sunrise at an art exhibit, and the term impressionism was born. The painting was not given it's title until after the critic made his comments on the painting. He said that it was an impression because Monet didn't attempt to make the painting realistic, but instead focused on the reflections of light and form of the objects in the painting.
One of Monets more impressive efforts was that of his Rouen Cathedral series. The Cathedral itself fascinated Monet. He painted the cathedral over ten times. Each time he would do it during a different part of the day so that he light that was shown on the cathedral was different each time. The three cathedral paintings I have chosen to include are the Rouen Cathedral, Facade (Morning Effect), Rouen Cathedral Setting Sun, (Symphony in Grey and Pink) and Rouen Cathedral, Facade (sunset), harmonie in gold and blue
Another key moment in Monet's Painting chronology was when he first painted water lillies. After he painted his first piece in 1897, it became a subject that he would come back to and continue to work on for the remainder of his life. The image to the right is the first painting Monet did of water lillies.
