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Elizabeth Dixon Claude Monet Art 1020/Section 16 Date: 4/23/14 Claude Monet Claude Monet was born on November

14, 1840 in Paris, France. He was the second son of Claude-Adolphe and Louise-Justine Aubree Monet. On May 20, 1841, he was baptized at the local church, Notre-Dame de Lorette, as Oscar-Claude Monet. In 1845 the family moved to Normandy. His father wanted him to go into the family grocery store business and his mother supported his creative side. Monet wanted to paint. In April of 1851, Monet entered the Le Havre school of arts. Monet entered the Le Havre school of arts. He didnt like being in school because it confined him. He liked being outside better than school. At an early age Monet loved to draw. At first he became locally known for his charcoal caricatures and his drawings. He would sell his charcoal caricatures for ten to twenty francs. He also took drawing lessons from Jacques-Louis David. In 1857, his mother died and he went to live with his aunt Marie-Jeanne Lecadre, who was a widow and had no children of her own. About 1856/1857, Monet met artist Eugene Boudin who became his mentor. Boudin taught him how to use oil paints and how to paint the outdoor. Witch became the cornerstone in his work. In 1859, Monet moved to Paris to pursue his art. He was influenced by Barbizon school, which is a group of landscape artists in the area and enrolled at the Acedemie Suisse.

When Monet would visit the Louvre in Paris, he say painter copying from the older master painters. He would bring his painting supplies but instead of doing what the other painters where doing, he would sit by the window and paint what he say. From 1861 to 1862, Monet served in First Regiment of African Light Calvary, but he was discharged for having health problems. He served two years out of seven. When he got typhoid, his aunt Marie-Jeanne Lecadre petition the service for his discharge After leaving the service he became Charles Gleyre student. During this time he meet Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille and Alfred Sisley. The four of them became close friends. In 1866, Monet painted Camille also known as The Woman in the Green Dress. It was one of many his many paintings of his lover and future wife Camille Doncieux. The next year he painted The Woman in the Garden and the nest year he painted On the Banks of the Seine. In 1868, he was having some financial problems and he tried to drown himself in the Seine River. In June 1870, Monet and Camille where married. They already had one son. In 1871 to 1878, Monet lived in Argenteuil, a village close to Paris, France. While living there he painted his best known works. For example, Impression, Sunrise was painted in 1872, and The Poppy Field was painted in 1875. In 1876 Camille became ill. The couple had their second son on March 17, 1878. Having the baby weakened Camilles already faded health. On September 9, 1879, Camille died of Tuberculosis. Monet painted Camille on her death bed. He did that painting as a last tribute for Camille. Before Camille died Monet and his family moved in with Ernest and Alice Hoschede and their six children. In 1892, Monet and Alice where married.

During the 1880s and 1890s, Monet began a series paintings that depicted a variety in light and weather conditions. He would become well known for these paintings. He would first paint haystacks. Then he would follow that with Rouen Cathedral, Poplars, the House of the Parliament, Mornings on the Seine and the Water Lilies that where on his property. 1883 to 1908 Monet would travel to the Mediterranean to paint landmarks, landscape and seascapes like the Bordighera. He painted series of paintings in Venice, Italy and London. The two popular series are of Parliament and Charing Cross Bridge. In 1911, Monets second wife, Alice died. After her death Alices daughter Blanche who had married Monets son Jean took care of him. In 1912, Monet first developed cataracts in his eyes. In 1926 Monet has surgery for his cataracts and his sight improves. During World War I, Monet painted a series of Weeping Willow trees for the French soldiers that have fallen during the war. Monet died on December 5, 1926 from lung cancer. He was 86 and buried at the Giverny church cemetery. He wanted a small and simple service. In 2004, the Parliament, Effects of Sun in the Fog, sold for $20.1 million US dollars. Cliffs near Dieppe has been stolen twice. The first time in 1998 and in August 2007 and has not been recovered. On May 6, 2008, Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil was sold for $41.4 million. Le basin aux nympheas, lot 19, sold for $71,892,376.34 or $80,451,178 with fees.

I found Claude Monet life very interesting. How he went from drawing to his paintings. How he sometimes struggled financially as an artist. He was a very talented artist. I like his landscape paintings because I like going places to look at the scenery. Your mind can just wonder from the beauty of nature and you wonder what is on the other side.

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