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Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840, in Paris, France. He spent much of his childhood near the Normandy coast, which greatly influenced his love for nature. From a young age, he showed a passion for drawing, encouraged by his mother. Unfortunately, his father wanted him to pursue a business career. After his mother passed away when he was just sixteen, Monet moved in with his aunt, who supported his artistic ambitions.
Monet didn’t have formal art training. Instead, he studied drawing locally and was introduced to plein air painting by Eugène Boudin. Boudin encouraged him to paint nature directly, which became a significant turning point in his artistic journey. Eventually, Monet moved to Paris, where he met other future Impressionists like Auguste Renoir and studied under Charles Gleyre.
In the beginning, Monet struggled to gain recognition and faced financial difficulties. In 1868, overwhelmed by poverty and family pressures, he even attempted suicide by drowning in the Seine but miraculously survived. During the Franco-Prussian War, from 1870 to 71, Monet and his family fled to London. There, he studied the works of English landscape painters like John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. He also met his first art dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, who would play a crucial role in his career.
After a brief stay in the Netherlands, Monet returned to France and settled in Argenteuil. It was here that he began to develop his distinctive Impressionist style. Monet became a leading figure in the Impressionist movement, which aimed to capture the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. His famous works include *Impression, Sunrise*, the painting that gave the movement its name, and series like *Haystacks*, *Rouen Cathedral*, and over 250 *Water Lilies* paintings.
In 1893, Monet bought land near his home in Giverny and created a beautiful water garden with a Japanese bridge. This garden became the subject of many of his later masterpieces. Even as he suffered from cataracts in his later years, he continued to paint almost until his death on December 5, 1926. His large-scale *Water Lilies* murals, which were installed posthumously in the Orangerie in Paris, are considered a crowning achievement of Impressionism and environmental art.
Monet’s life was filled with early struggles, artistic innovation, and a deep dedication to capturing the transient beauty of nature. His legacy continues to resonate in modern art today. Thank you for listening. Visit PodSights.ai to create a podcast on any topic.