Claude Monet

Oscar-Claude Monet was born on November 14th, 1840 and died December 5th, 1926. He was a founder of French Impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement’s philosophy of expressing one’s perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein air landscape painting. The term “Impressionism” is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which was exhibited in 1874 in the first of the independent exhibitions mounted by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon de Paris.

Monet’s ambition of documenting the French countryside led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. From 1883 Monet lived in Giverny, where he purchased a house and property and began a vast landscaping project which included lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works. In 1899 he began painting the water lilies, first in vertical views with a Japanese bridge as a central feature, and later in the series of large-scale paintings that was to occupy him continuously for the next 20 years of his life. [From Wikipedia]

Love Letters

Love letters to Claude Monet from artists about his paintings, what they mean to them and what they love about them.

Impression, Sunrise

written by Katie Ayres

I find this painting mesmerizing, I just feel like I am there, in another space and time. It is amazing that it is the painting…

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Who Knew?

written by Katie Ayres

Well, OK, I guess I didn’t know or even think of Monet before impressionism. You can see with the piece above Interior, after Dinner, how…

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Impressionism versus Photography

written by Katie Ayres

I love that impressionism brings forward what photography can’t and this is coming from someone who has dabbled a bit in photography. They both have…

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The Beach at Sainte-Adresse

written by Katie Ayres

I read the book Monet by Christopher Heinrich about Monet’s life and work. My favorite story was about how Monet was one of the first…

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The Artist’s Garden at Vetheuil

written by Katie Ayres

I have a feeling that this painting takes what was a beautiful view and made it magical. This is why I love Monet’s work, he…

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Upcoming and Current Exhibitions

These are example exhibitions to demonstrate the ability to clearly show where to find an artist’s work.

The Water Lilies

Water Lilies Room at Musée_de_L'Orangerie
Water Lilies Room at Musée de L’Orangerie (photo by museum)

Musee de L’Orangerie

Jardin Tuileries, 75001
Paris, France

December 2, 2021 – November 27, 2024

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Gardens

Petit Gallery

123 Boulevard de Sorbonne

June 11, 2026

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