Monet's Paintings example essay topic

Biographical Information Claude Oscar Monet was born in Paris on November 14, 1840. The son of a successful tradesman, Monet grew up in the town of Le Havre located on the Normandy coast. He showed artistic talent as a teenager, drawing caricatures of local personalities, and by the age of fifteen he was receiving commission for his work. Monet's formal training began in 1859 at the Academie Suisse, a studio that provided models for aspiring artists to draw and paint, but gave little direct instruction. After serving in the French military in Algeria, Monet joined a Parisian studio run by Charles Gabriel Gleyre in 1862. Like the Academie Suisse, Gleyre's studio encouraged students to draw from models.

In this setting, Monet met several artists who would become friends and fellow Impressionists. Among these were Renoir, Sisley, and Baz ille. In 1865 Monet had his first works accepted by the Salon, where they received praise from critics and were purchased by influential buyers. Despite this, Monet still struggled with rejection from the public and the conservative Salon ("Monet", Encarta). In 1870 Monet married Camille Don cieux, the mother of his illegitimate son. To escape the Franco-Prussian War the couple went to London and then to Holland.

They returned in 1872 and settled on the Seine River outside of Paris. Monet painted numerous views of this town, as well as several family studies. Frequently joined by Renoir and other friends from his student days, Monet painted every aspect of the outdoors. In 1874 Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley put together an exhibition which turned out to be a disaster. In an attempt to recover some of his financial losses, Monet made a sale of his paintings at the Hotel Drouot.

This too was a complete failure ("Monet", Encarta). Camille died in 1882, and in 1883 Monet settled in Giverny where he remained until his death. During these years, the group of Impressionists began to disintegrate. Other influences and groups presented themselves, and gradually each of the painters drifted away to pursue their own styles. In 1892 Monet married Alice Ho schede, and at last gained a name for himself.

He knew several important people and Monet became financially secure for the first time in his life. With this luxury, Monet devoted himself to gardening, which served as the theme for his last series of paintings. In his final years he was troubled by failing eyesight, but he continued to paint until his death in 1926 ("Monet", Encarta). Changing the History of the Arts / Modern Elements of Impressionism Impressionist painters were considered radical in their time because they broke many of the rules of picture making set by earlier generations. Impressionism was born out of realism, a movement which had already shocked the critics and public with it's subjects and techniques.

The group found many of their themes in life rather than in history, which was the accepted source of subject matter of the time. Instead of painting an ideal of beauty that earlier artists had defined, the impressionists tried to depict what they saw at a given moment, a vision that was hard for some to accept as beautiful. Monet specialized in landscape and informal portraits in natural settings. These were genres that had been regarded as of lesser importance than history painting.

Monet's paintings also broke the traditional rules of composition. Rather than attempting to produce carefully constructed, permanent records of events or scenes, his objective was to capture the moment, a sensation produced by chance. He sought to produce the effects of weather, light, and movement, which often made his subjects appear fragmented with limited depth. This went against the traditional representation of space where the eye is led naturally from the foreground to the distance. Monet also rejected the dark tones and detailed finish that removed the painterly quality of the artist's work. These were qualities demanded by the Academy of Fine Arts, the institution that set the standards for French painting and organized the Salon (Gerstein).

He simplified his compositions, omitting detail to create overall effect. Instead of smoothly blending colors, Monet placed separate touches of vibrant, contrasting colors directly onto the canvas. He allowed the brushstrokes to retain the spontaneity of a sketch. This made his work appear unfinished to many viewers (Spate). Modern Challenges Throughout his career, Monet faced many prejudices as a modern artist. As his style developed, he violated one traditional artistic convention after another in the interest of creative expression.

Monet's experiments in rendering sunlight and shadow with direct sketch like application of vibrant color were daring, and he seemed to cut himself off from the possibility of a successful career as a conventional painter supported by the art establishment. In France, art of this period was controlled by three bodies: the Salon, the Academie, and the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Typically, these institutions were structured within a very defined set of parameters. Only certain candidates qualified for positions in particular offices. This made the accepted art of the time very restricted and confined to traditional values (Seitz).

Impressionism painting arose out of a dissatisfaction with the very subjects and techniques that were approved by the Salon. Classical and sentimental themes, dry, precise methods, and indoor studio work was recognized. Monet's modern ideas kept him from displaying his work, and led the other Impressionists and himself to host their own exhibition. Mocked by critics, they were unsuccessful. This caused him to exist in poverty for more than half of his life. In 1867 after a rejection from the Salon, Monet's first son Jean was born.

Without a permanent home or an income, Monet lodged with friends and borrowed what money he could. At times he was even too poor to buy paint or canvas (Seitz). Gerstein, Marc S. Impressionism. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1980. "Monet". The Archive Online. web 2000.

"Monet, Claude Oscar". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000. web Microsoft Corporation, 2000. Seitz, William C. Claude Monet. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1960. Spate, Virginia. Monet: Life and Work, New York: Rizzoli, 1992..