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landscape painting.
In 1883 he
settled at Giverny near Paris where he created the extensive water gardens
and lily ponds which became the predominant theme in
his work. It was there that he painted the series of large-scale
paintings of water lilies for which he is so famous.
 Above is a photo of Claude Monet in 1923-24 on the Rose Path leading to the house in his garden at Giverny. Monet
experienced both poverty and prosperity. Despite failing eyesight, he
continued to paint almost until his death on 5 December 1926.
During the Franco-Prussian War, Monet fled to London for two years to avoid conscription into the military. While in London he spent a lot of time with Pissarro which affected his painting style, changing his choice of colors and continually decreasing the size of his brushstrokes.
Monet was sometimes given to bouts of depression and pessimism during and after the Franco-Prussian War, which killed Camille (godfather of Monet's son Jean) and seriously injured Renoir. He took the death of his good friend Camille very badly. But they were prosperous days if not happy ones and enabled him to afford rent large rented homes in Argenteuil with great scenery which were the subject of many of his paintings. Monet lived there with his family for nearly eight years and it was there that he gained his place in history.
His paintings done at Argenteuil became greatly polished and produced a stunning variety of work. He discoverd his great talent for landscapes although it was discouraged by critics at the time. Monet believed nature was a sanctuary from the sadder side of life — particularly commercial development — and he made sure every home he had after the war had a luxurious garden — or he made one. |
