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Monet is perhaps one of the best known artists of his time. His significant accomplishments during his lifetime, as well as the ardor with which he adhered to the ideals upon which the impressionist movement was founded serve as proof of his greatness.

Born in 1840, Claude Oscar Monet began as a caricaturist in Le Havre, France, but soon began painting outdoor scenes as the result of the influence of his mentor, Boudin. In 1859, at the age of 19, although in poverty, Monet studied with his newfound friend Pissarro at the Atelier Suisse. A few years later, he met the group of people who would with him, form the core group of impressionists at the studio of Gleyre: Renoir, Sisley, and Bazille. During the oncoming of the Franco-Prussian War, Monet retreated to England with Pizarro and began to study many different artists including Constable and Turner. He then moved on to the village of Argenteuil along the Seine and collaborated on a collection of some of the most vibrant works of the impressionist era along with Manet, Renoir, and Sisley. For a brief period following 1878 he lived in Vtheuil, then moved to his final home in Giverny, about 40 miles away from Paris. At this point in his life, he was able to enjoy his newfound wealth by buying the Giverny home he had at first rented. For the rest of his days he traveled, always returning to his home in Giverny, which was to be his final resting place in 1926.

Throughout the years, Monet remained true to his impressionist ideals and was ultimately successful within his lifetime as a result of his artistic accomplishments. His first painting of interest was perhaps En Plein Air, one of his earliest attempts at an outdoor scene that he painted in the forest of Fontainebleau. His most prominent undertaking, Rouen Cathedral which he worked on from 1891 to 1895, was a series of paintings he painted of the cathedral at different times of day. This style was similar to an earlier work of his called Haystacks in which he did a string of four paintings of a barn in the countryside. His largest work was called Water-Lilies and was so large that a special studio had to be built partially underground just to complete it over the 15 year span of the project. Even near death, almost blind and barely mobile, Monet worked on this project and painted until the very end.

Monet is perhaps best known for his contributions to the impressionist movement and the founding of French impressionism. The movement itself was in fact named after a painting of his titled Impression: Sunrise, although it was first used by a critic as a derogatory term towards an 1874 exhibit of works including those of Monet. The movement was characterized by artwork that captured the general impression formed by a scene and the use of basic colors along with many visible strokes to imitate reflected light. Impressionism was very much like realism in the sense that the artist strove to capture the appearance of their subjects in different lighting, weather, and circumstances. Critics of the time often claimed that these works were sketches and incomplete works rather than completed realistic paintings.

Claude Monet has left a lasting impression on the world, reminiscent of the artistic movement he sparked along with his colleagues. His relative success in life as an artist stands as a living testament to his prolific artistic abilities as well as his lasting influence into the 21st century.

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