Claude Monet

Claude Monet

Born: 14th November 1840, Paris, France Died: 5th December 1926, Giverny, France. Aged 86 Nationality: French Spouse(s): 2. Camille Doncieux (Married 1870-­‐1875) Alice Horchede (nee Raingo) (Married 16th July 1892-­‐1911) Children: 2. Jean and Michel Monet (With Camille) Father: Claude Adolph Monet Mother: Louise Justine Aubrée Monet Siblings: 1. Leon Pascal Monet

1. Monet’s father was a grocer. He was keen for Monet to carry his business on and was never keen on him becoming a painter.

2. Monet is famous for painting water lilies, haystacks, poplars, Rouen Cathedral, his Japanese garden (particularly the bridge and pond), weeping willows and general countryside landscapes.

3. Monet’s mother liked to sing. She died in 1857 when Monet was just 17.

Monet’s Aunt looked after him. She encouraged his painting and helped him move to Paris to pursue his dream.

4. When Monet was 15 he used to sell caricatures he made of local residents in his hometown of Le Havre.

5. In Le Havre, landscape painter Eugene Boudin noticed his talent for drawing and encouraged him to paint. Monet worked with him in his studio.

6. Monet hated school as a youngster. He used to bunk off to paint the outdoors. He loved the countryside and remained to do so through his entire life.

7. When Monet first moved to Paris he attended Thomas Couture’s school but disliked it so he moved to Pere Suisse’s where he worked from 6am some days.

8. At Suisse’s Monet met Camille Pissarro.

9. In 1861 Monet briefly enlisted into the army and was stationed in Algeria for a while.

10. Throughout Monet’s life he had frequent Money problems. Not being from a wealthy background, he did not have a substantial allowance flowing.

Manet, Caillebotte and his friend Dr. De Bellio were lending him money regularly when he was struggling to sell paintings.

11. In 1862, Monet arrived back in Paris and studied under Charles Gleyre.

12. At Gleyre’s, Monet became friends with Renoir, Sisley and Bazille. Pissarro – with whom he was still in touch – introduced Cezanne to the rest of them.

13. In 1866, Monet had two paintings accepted into The Salon.

14. Also in 1866, Monet met Manet after Manet invited Monet to meet in a café after seeing a cartoon depicting Manet and Monet emphasising the similarities between their surnames. He also met Degas here through Manet.

15. In 1867, Manet’s father cut off his allowance as Camille – to whom he was not married – was pregnant.

16. In 1868 Monet tried to commit suicide but failed.

17. Throughout his lifetime, Monet travelled around France a lot looking for spots to paint in the open air. Although all the Impressionists travelled about to paint, Monet did this particularly a lot.

18. In 1870, Monet and Camille fled to London, England from the building Franco-­‐Prussian war.

19. Manet returned to Paris in 1871.

20. Manet moved to Argenteuil in 1872.

21. In Argenteuil, Monet bought a small boat, which he turned into a mini-­‐ floating studio. It was in Argenteuil that he met Caillebotte.

22. Monet takes part in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874. His painting ‘Impression: Sunrise’ was used by critics to make fun of the group by calling them ‘Impressionists’. The name simply stuck regardless of the intended connotations by the critics. Reviews were poor. He sold work though but made less than 200 francs.

23. Although the first Impressionist exhibition brings Monet clients and painting sales (regardless of the harsh reviews) he is forced to move to a smaller house because of financial trouble.

24. In 1877 he paint’s the Gare Saint-­‐Lazare. The station director amazingly agrees to halt the trains the make them puff out plenty of smoke for him to paint.

25. In 1878 Monet moves to Vétheuil with Camille for even cheaper housing.

Alice Horchede moves in with them as her husband goes bankrupt and takes leave to Holland.

26. 1880 sees the fourth Impressionist exhibition. However, Monet does not take part. This is the only exhibition that Monet does not take part in.

27. Monet was a staunch Republican.

28. In 1883, Monet writes letters to Alice declaring his love for her. However, she is still married to the elusive Ernest Horchede. She was a big Catholic and was no prepared to divorce.

29. Also in 1883, Monet moves to his now famous house in Giverny. However, it was very different back then. He later bought land extending from it for his Japanese garden where he painted all his water lilies.

30. Monet collected Japanese art and had a reasonable collection of it.

31. Monet was a pallbearer at Manet’s funeral in 1883.

32. After settling in Giverny, Manet began painting series’ of work such as his Haystacks and the cathedral at Rouen.

33. In 1889 he exhibited with the sculptor Auguste Rodin.

34. Monet began having eye problems in 1907.

35. In 1912, Monet tells Gustav Geoffrey, “No, I am not a great painter.”

36. In 1923 Monet had two operations to remove his cataracts.

37. It is speculated that after Monet’s cataracts operations, he was able to see ultraviolet wavelengths of light. One of the reasons for this is that he paintings colours were so bright and had more reddish tones after the operations.

38. In the later years of Monet’s life, he settled well in Giverny and died there in 1926 of lung cancer.