Claude Monet

The very first paintings I recall inspiring me to learn to paint at a young age were Claude Monet's Water Lilies and some of his many paintings of the Cliffs at Normandy. l recall seeing reproductions of them first in a large art book and then viewing them at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Monet, according to Wikipedia, was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his long career, he was the most consistent and prolific practitioner of impressionism's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions of nature, especially as applied to plein air (outdoor) landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant, exhibited in 1874 (the "exhibition of rejects") initiated by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon.

Here's a recent portrait of Monet that I completed in pastel.

I suppose there are, among others, three key things that attract me to Monet's work:

1. The original style of his work

2. The way he lived

3. The interesting group of friends he associated with***

*** they have been referred to as the Four Friends of Impressionism. They were Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frederic Bazille. In the course of their art studies, they brought forth a completely new style of art called Impressionism. Their main teacher was Charles Gleyre, who had taken on the school of Paul Delaroche, and was himself a successful working artist. Although he himself never achieved the fame of some of his students, he was an excellent teacher. He taught them to paint “en plein air” (painting outdoors) in Paris and throughout the surrounding areas! You might say he had a little bit of an impact on the world by his influence on the fantastic Four Friends of Impressionism!

Here are some videos on my YouTube channel where I cover a bit more about Monet and his influence on the world of painting and my own work. All while recreating some of his incredible works.

Live Painting Demo: Study the Greats Monet's Fishing Boats at Sea

Thanks for checking out my work!

Cheers!