My Blog Stop!: Claude Monet

A brief introduction to artists, Claude Monet and others, who made such a lasting impression, reproductions of their original works adorn many homes and offices. Through his persistence Monet's paintings gained the recognition they deserve and he opened the door for fellow artists.

The letter "i" stands for "I'm impressed."

The term “impressionism” was first used in 1874, and its initial usage was not very complimentary. A critic was making a sarcastic remark about one of Monet's landscape paintings. Not allowing an unfavorable judgment to cramp his style, Claude Monet (1840 – 1926), working with Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919), developed the technique of broken-color painting. These two artists are recognized as the founders of the art form known as Impressionism.

Others who were also a part of the group known as impressionist painters include: Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883), Jacob Camille Pissarro (1831 – 1903), Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906), and Edgar Hilaire Germain Degas (1834 – 1917).

Monet and Renoir
Plus The Others

An art aficionado, I am not. But like most people, my attention can easily be captured by an impressive painting. The artwork of Claude Monet has always impressed me. However, it appears that Monsieur Monet had to work arduously at developing a fan base who appreciated his art. Of course, Auguste Renoir painted female nudes. Not that he wasn't a great artist because his subjects were bare naked ladies. But gathering appreciative admirers was not as difficult. Nevertheless, through his persistence Monet's paintings have gained the recognition they deserve and there are many of today's artists who will readily admit that their art style has been influenced by the work of Claude Monet.

As all of the impressionist painters named are already well known, there is a wealth of information about them that can be found online. Since they are no longer with us, there is nothing substantial left to be added (unless authentic secret diaries or original works stashed in someone's attic are discovered). Below are links to condensed biographies of each artist which serve as an excellent introduction should you wish to know more about them.

The ArtStory.org published a biographical snap-shot of:

Claude Monet (1840 – 1926);
Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883); and
Edgar Hilaire Germain Degas (1834 – 1917).

For the biography of Pierre Auguste Renoir, visit notablebiographies.com.

A wonderful presentation of the life of Jacob Camille Pissarro (1831 – 1903) can be found at impressionniste.net.

PBS.org provided an introduction to the life of Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906) for the program which aired July 2006 entitled Cézanne in Provence.

If interested, artcyclopedia.com is an online database where the artwork of thousands of artists can be viewed freely.