Impressionist Painter Claude Monet Impressionist Painter By Denise Jackson

Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) Founder of the French Impressionists

He had a good sense of humor, but didn’t do well in school He had a good sense of humor, but didn’t do well in school. He never listened and spent most of his time drawing funny pictures. He even drew funny pictures of his teachers! When he was a teenager some people (who also had a good sense of humor) paid Monet’s to draw Caricatures of them.

The new invention of the paint tube allowed Monet to paint outside, not in stuffy studios like most artists did at that time. Monet loved painting pictures of water. He loved the way colors reflect in water, and the special way the water makes the clouds and sky look.

Monet even fixed up a boat as a floating studio. He kept paints, brushes, canvas, and drawing supplies on it. He sailed up and down rivers and streams painting wherever he liked.

Monet met some other artists and showed them how fun it was to paint outdoors. Monet and his friends often painted together in the countryside.

Monet wanted people to see his work and buy it, but at that time the only place people went to buy artwork was the Salon in Paris. The judges of the Salon picked only pictures that told a story, had clear realistic images and painted in dark moody colors.

Monet and his friend’s work were not getting picked for the Salon, so they decided to have their own art show. Their work was more abstract and showed how pretty things looked when the sunlight was on it.

A newspaper writer came to Monet and his friend’s exhibit and called them Impressionists. He got the name from Monet’s painting, Impression, Sunrise which was hung at the exhibit.

If you look closely at Monet’s paintings, you can hardly tell what he painted. It just looks like a bunch of colorful brush strokes. But when you step back a little, it starts to make sense.

Monet kept painting even though most people did not like his work. When Monet was older, people finally started to appreciate his paintings. He settled down in the French town of Giverny, and built a wonderful water garden there.

Monet lived to be 86 years old. He spent the last ten years of his life painting scenes of his water garden. These painting are among the most beautiful and famous paintings he did. Some of them are over forty feet wide!

Bibliography Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Claude Monet by Mike Venezia.