CLAUDE MONET - 1

Of the many photographs of Claude Monet available on the internet, I chose this one to introduce us to our study of The King of Impressionism.  

To begin our study, Monet is pronounced   Mo-nay.  His first name was Oscar; Claude his middle name.  When he was age 15, he drew charcoal caricatures and signed them as "O. Monet."  (see one of his caricatures below)

Caricature of a Man With
A Snuff Box, 1858

Claude Monet was born in 1840 in Paris.  When he was five, the family moved to Normandy in northern France.  His father wanted him to continue the family grocery and ship handling business, but Claude (supported by his mother) entered the local art school.  He attended classes in Le Havre (luh + haav) for about four years.   Le Havre translates to "The Harbor."   

It was in Normandy that Monet met Eugene Boudin, a French artist who painted seascapes.  He became a mentor and friend.  It was he who introduced Monet to the concept of painting outdoors, en plein air.

It's important to know that when a groundbreaking group of artists started the Impressionist movement, art critics turned up their noses at it.  It was unheard of for an artist not to draw first and then paint the drawing.  Critics considered that a lack of skill on the artist's part.  However, today we see the movement was an intelligent choice that eventually crowned color as the king of painting.

Claude Monet's painting Impression, Sunrise is considered the first Impressionist painting.  It was exhibited at the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1874.  

Impression, Sunrise - 1872

An astronomer and physics professor at the University of Texas did a topographical, iconographical, meteorological and astrological study that precisely dated the time Monet painted this picture.  It was at 7:35 a.m. on November 13, 1872, thirty minutes before dawn, and he painted it in one setting.  How cool is that!

The above painting shows a quiet morning at the port, with two small rowboats in the foreground, more fishing boats in the middle ground, and clipper ships in the background.  The rising sun is orange and contrasts with the dark vessels.  Monet painted this picture while looking out the window and drawing what he saw.  Notice the short brushstrokes.  Impression, Sunrise is considered a poem to the power and beauty of revitalized France following the Franco-Prussian War.

This painting has an interesting history to tell us.  In 1985, three gunmen entered the Marmottan Museum in Paris and stole it.  The painting disappeared for five years; and then was discovered in 1990 in an apartment on the island of Corsica, part of France. The search had been launched in Japan using contacts in the Yakuza (organized crime network).  It's been said that the thert made this painting a legend, and now the whole world wants to see this pivotal painting.  Impression, Sunrise is considered the Mona Lisa of Impressionism.

So, we have left the shore and are now on our way to learning about Claude Monet's life and his artistic accomplishments.  I hope my followers can enjoy learning about these incredible humans that lived and loved before us.  One can't help but be astounded by their brilliance and passion to create.  If only they could know how their passion is passed down for the generations.  It would be our loss if we didn't take time to introduce ourselves to their world and the way they expressed their feelings and beliefs.  Each one of us has a gift to share, and it's our human duty to make sure we don't squander or simply not use that gift.  Part of the fun in life is discovering what that gift is.  There are times I learn things about myself through the works of others.  

We'll keep going farther out to sea tomorrow, so ta-ta till then.