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Today we're going to learn about the famous artist, Claude Monet.
Born on November 14, 1840, Claude Monet was a nineteenth century French painter, and one
of the founding fathers of French impressionism. Some consider him the one of the most important
painters of the Impressionist movement, and he was certainly one of the most prolific,
creating more than two thousand five hundred paintings, drawings, and pastels in his lifetime.
Monet was the second son of his parents. Though he was born in Paris, France, his family moved
to Normandy only a few years later. His father was a businessman, and his mother was a singer.
Monet's father wanted him to go into the family's grocery business, but Monet wanted to become
an artist. When he was only ten years old, he entered the local art school and began
his studies.
By age fifteen, Monet was well known in the town where he lived for drawing caricatures,
or exaggerated portraits, of the people around him. His drawings were so good that people
were happy to buy them, and Monet attracted the attention of more experienced artists,
who helped him to improve.
In 1857, Monet's mother died. Shortly afterward, he left school and went to live with his aunt.
In 1861, Claude Monet joined the army for what was supposed to be seven years, but after
two years he became sick and his aunt agreed to pay to get him out of the rest of his service
on condition that he agree to go back to art school.
Monet was not happy with the traditional techniques that were being taught, and so after a very
short time he left the school and began to study with other artists who were trying to
create in a new way. They painted outside, with quick brushstrokes, more concerned with
capturing the feeling of the color and the light than with accurate or realistic painting.
This style of painting came to be called Impressionism.
By 1865, some of Monet's work was accepted to the Salon, an annual art show in Paris,
and his work began to be appreciated, but he was still very poor. He married his first
wife, Camille, in 1870, and together with their young son they moved first to England,
then the Netherlands, but by late 1871, they returned to France. In 1878, Camille gave
birth to their second son, but she was very sick and died the next year.
Monet had a very difficult time following his wife's death, but within a few years his
career began to take off as his dealer had more and more success selling his paintings.
In 1883 Monet settled in a house in Giverny, France, with Alice Hoschedé, who cared for
his children as well as her own six children. By 1890, Monet was doing well enough to buy
the house and the land around it, and to build a greenhouse, a studio, and a garden full
of water lilies.
In 1892, following the death of her husband, Monet married Alice, and spent his remaining
years painting in the gardens of Giverny. He often painted the same thing many times
in an attempt to capture them in different seasons, light, or colors. He continued painting
up until his death on December 5, 1926, at the age of 86.
Today Monet is remembered for the changes he helped create in the world of art. By moving
away from realism, or realistic painting, he prepared the way for more modern styles
of art. His paintings hang in museums around the world, and his beautiful gardens are open
for visitors who want to come and see the place that the renowned artist created so
many of his paintings.
I hope you enjoyed learning about the famous artist, Claude Monet, and seeing some of his
beautiful work. Goodbye.