14.11.1840 – 05.12.1926

November 14, 1840 was born French painter, one of the founders of impressionism Claude Monet. The new direction received its name due to the artist’s painting “Impression. Sunrise”. Impressionists wanted to convey in their works the variability of life, the freshness of the first impression. The artist’s paintings – as if accidentally snatched the moment, relief strokes convey the trembling foliage, sunlight or a light morning mist.

Claude Monet’s father was a grocer and wanted to give his son his job, however, the routine work of the future artist’s interest did not cause. At the age of 14-15, Monet was carried away by a caricature, and this occupation soon became his income – he began to sell his drawings for 15-20 francs. The acquaintance of Monet with Eugene Boudin aroused interest in painting. In the late 50-ies of the XIX century, he moved to Paris to get an education. In the capital, Monet meets artists such as Degas, Pissarro, Cezanne, Renoir, Sisley, and this meeting will forever change the world history of art.

While working on the color transfer, Monet avoids mixing the colors on the palette, preferring to have a series of clean brush strokes that “mix” in the eye of the viewer, create a sense of movement. This and other innovations were not supported by Salon, caused misunderstanding of the public and rejection of criticism, Impressionist paintings were not bought. For a long time, Claude Monet lived in great need.

His favorite model was his wife – Camilla Donsier. She is depicted in the pictures “Lady in Green”, “Women in the Garden” and others. Madame Monet gave birth to two sons, but the second birth in 1878 shook her health. Camilla died in 1879, Claude Monet wrote a touching posthumous portrait of his wife.

Monet’s paintings are scattered all over the world. In Russia, the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin there are such famous paintings as “Lilac in the Sun” in 1873 and “Breakfast on the grass” in 1866. The picture “Parliament, the effect of fog” is in St. Petersburg in the Hermitage.