The sea at Le Havre: Claude Monet.

Abstract

Acool briny mist and the cadence of wavelets lapping against a small boat may be just the tonic needed for a jaded urbanite, but for Impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926), who spent childhood days near the coast, paintingmarine scenery had a sense of familiarity as that with an old friend. Although probably best known for his water lilies and red poppies, as noted, “Monet is one of those rare artists who knew how to paint water ... ” (Sutton D. Claude Monet: The Early Years. From British Collections in aid of The Police Dependants’ Trust. London, UK: Lefevre Gallery; 1969: 12.) The range of Monet’s oeuvre was alone noteworthy, but he became an art phenom because he held fast to his vision of showing nature in a new way, awash in light. His hard-won status in the art world lies in part in his contribution to modernism, but his enduring audience appeal seems borne of his ability to create a mood. Born in Paris, at a young age Monet moved with his family to a locale near the English Channel in northern France. In the early 1850s he receiveddrawing instruction froman artist variously known as Francois-Charles or Jacques-Francois Ochard. Monet had an aptitude for caricatures and was allowed to display them at a local business. In Le Havre an encounter occurred later in the 1850s thatwould change this cartoonist into a landscapist when seascape painter Eugene Boudinwas introduced toMonet. Although initially hesitant, Monet accompanied Boudin on an outdoor painting excursion. His epiphany was absolute: “Suddenly it was as if a veil had been lifted: ‘I had understood, I had seen what painting