“I do what I can to express what I feel in the presence of nature.”

Claude Monet

• Born in Paris, France in 1840

• Is now one of the most famous artists of all time

• Impressionist painter

Claude Monet

Impressionist Style

• Soft edges

• Bright colors dabbed side by side

• Short, choppy brushstrokes

• Highly textured surface

Regatta at Argenteuil, 1872

• Painted the people & places he knew best

• Common Subjects:– Seascapes– Landscapes– Flowers– Portraits

Subject Matter

Poppies at Argenteuil, 1873

Woman with a Parasol

1875

Camille Monet and her son Jean

Painted the same subject in different weather, seasons, and times of the day

Monet saw that the colors of a scene changed as the light and

weather changed

Rouen Cathedral at Midday,

1894

Rouen Cathedral in the Evening,

1894

Rouen Cathedral Morning Sun,

1893

Color constantly changes according to the sun’s position

• Monet created a beautiful garden in Giverny– Bamboo, Irises, Roses, Water Lilies, and Wisteria

• After 1911, the garden became his sole subject

Giverny

MOMA Kids Audio Clip

As Monet grew older, his style began to change due to his failing eyesight

The Japanese Footbridge at Giverny

1900 1923

– Painted hundreds of water lilies from 1900-26– Water lilies became hazier as his cataracts

worsened– Eventually the water lilies, water, and

reflections melted together into a hazy mist of swirling color

Audio Clip