Monet
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Monet Today
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Fun Facts
Monet Fun Facts
Monet is credited as being the founder of French Impressionism.
Monet’s full name was Oscar Claude Monet, his parents called him Oscar.
Monet’s father was a groceryman who eventually opened a small bank. The family was fairly well off but Monet’s father would not support him as an artist.
Monet suffered depression and had great financial burdens. He tried to kill himself by drowning in the Seine, in 1868, due to his poor finances.
Unlike other artists of his time, Monet would paint a work entirely, from start to finish, outdoors.
In 1867, Monet had his first child with model Camille Doncieux, in 1870 they were married. In 1878, their second child was born.
Monet was a part of a society with other artists who wanted to paint scenes of everyday life. For society this was a revolutionary change in subject matter but also became a revolutionary change in painting techniques.
Monet’s individual brush strokes didn’t look finished and were criticized for only conveying an impression and not completing the work.
Monet wanted to be the artists who charged and received the most money for his artwork.
Monet painted into his late 80s. He died on December 5, 1926 at the age of 86 and was buried in Giverny Church cemetery.
Monet spent much of his time in school painting caricatures of his teachers.
Following the death of his mother in 1857, Monet lived with his widowed aunt, Marie-Jeanne Lecadre.
In June 1861, Monet joined the First Regiment of African Light Cavalry in Algeria with a seven year commitment. After two years he contracted typhoid fever and he was released from service.
Monet’s wife Camille died of tuberculosis and as the story goes he closed and locked the door and painted a picture of her on her deathbed.
The famous water lily paintings were painted in Monet’s own gardens which he created surrounding the home he purchased in 1890. The house and gardens have been opened to visitors since 1980.
In 1892, Monet married his second wife, Alice Hoschede.
Monet was friends with Pissarro, Cezanne, Renoir, Sisley, and Bazille.
By 1908 Monet’s eyes began to deteriorate and in 1923 he had an operation to remove cataracts in both eyes.