Monet is probably the most famous Impressionist and he’s known for his beautiful depictions nature, particularly waterlilies. Join us as we chat about his life and his works of art.
The Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet (1899)
Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet (1872)
What Can We Learn from Monet?
- Practice, practice, practice! Monet painted the same subject over and over!
- Try plein-air painting!
- Be persistent in your craft. Monet kept at it for YEARS before people started to regularly purchase his paintings
- Make friends who are also working on the same things you are. Monet’s relationships with other artists increased his skill and encouraged him to make more art.
- Lean into critics. Monet didn’t like the art critics, but when the critics called him and his friends “Impressionists,” instead of arguing about it, they adopted the term.
- Learn the common composition ‘rules’ well enough to know how to bend and break them.
One of Claude Monet’s early sketches
Monet Quotes
“It was as if a veil was torn from my eyes; I had understood. I grasped what painting could be.” – Monet, talking about when Eugene Boudin introduced him to Plein air painting
“For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life – the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.”
“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”
“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”
“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.”
“Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. ”
Things We Mention
- WikiArt is a great place to see more art!
- The Orangerie, housing Monet’s final water-lily series
- Edward Manet- a fellow Impressionist