Claude Monet became one of the founders of a new genre. It was his painting that was among those works that were classified as impressionism. The most famous paintings by Claude Monet are today estimated at several tens of millions of dollars.
Before his most famous paintings were born, Claude Monet was moonlighting as a cartoonist. The first works of the future impressionist date back to 1854, when he was only 14 years old.
Monet became addicted to painting by accident. His parents did not give him pocket money, and in order to earn it, the artist began to create caricatures of her friends and relatives. Claude Monet estimated each work at 15-20 francs. However, he became acquainted with real painting later, when his mentor Eugene Boudin suggested that the young artist start creating paintings in the open air.
Also, by chance, the term "impressionism" was born. Despite the fact that he is inextricably linked with the name of Claude Monet, he was not invented by a French artist. The author of the term was a little-known journalist Louis Leroy.
In 1874, at a private exhibition, Claude Monet presented a painting that contrasted with the works of that time. Critics have lashed out at his and other similar works, calling them immoral, rebellious and untenable. Louis Leroy, describing the events in the magazine Le Charivari, spoke unflatteringly about the creators of those paintings, calling them impressionists. However, the masters accepted this epithet.
It is noteworthy that it is the work of Claude Monet "Water Lilies" that is considered the best in the genre of impressionism.
The artist created many paintings in his life. Most of them have survived to this day. Separately, it is worth noting that, drawing women, Claude Monet is only the image of his wife Camille Domcus.
Today, paintings by Claude Monet are among the three most expensive paintings. On average, each of them costs about 7.22 million dollars.
List of the most famous paintings
Almost all of Monet's most famous works were created starting in 1883. Creating paintings, the master did not seek to portray something specific. For him, it was important how this or that work was performed. He did not stop creating even after his vision deteriorated. As a result, Monet's paintings came out from under the pen, photos with names and the most famous of them are presented below.
Despite the fact that four seemingly different women are depicted on the canvas, the artist copied the image of three of them from his wife. Monet spent a lot of time on this work, carefully checking the colors. The main goal that the creator of "Woman in the Garden" set for himself was the transmission of real daylight. Other elements of the picture deserve less attention.
"Women in the Garden" brought its creator 2.5 thousand francs, which allowed him to get out of debt.
"Terrace at St. Andress" dates from 1867. The canvas depicts two men and women, written off from the closest relatives of the author. The painting shows a garden located on the coast in St. Andress. The peculiarity of the work lies in the fact that it imitates Japanese color prints. Also noteworthy is the absence of a central point. One gets the impression that the author of "Terrace at St. Andress" painted it, being somewhere upstairs.
The Thames Below Westminster was completed in 1871. As conceived by the author, the canvas should convey the feeling of a foggy London morning. In the background of the picture is the building of the British Parliament shrouded in haze. Closer are several boats, a vertical jetty and a horizontal bridge. However, fog is dominant on this canvas. It shimmers with different shades, blurring the forms of other objects.
There is also another piece depicting Westminster at sunset.
The theme of the early morning can also be traced in the next work of the author. "Impression: Rising Sun" shows the pre-dawn fog creeping over the harbor. A circle of bright orange sun breaks through the haze. The work leaves behind a gloomy impression, which is enhanced if you pay attention to the blurry images of distant ships and the fuzzy contours of the two boats in the foreground.
The Bridge at Argenteuil appeared in 1874. A year earlier, the artist completed the creation of "Field of poppies at Argenteuil." Both works show the area where Monet lived for several years. Each picture is distinguished by a rich color of paints. This is especially true of the work "The Bridge at Argenteuil". In it, the creator used very bright shades, the color of which does not change with the transition from the foreground to the background. In The Field of Poppies at Argenteuil, Monet visually divided the canvas into two parts, separating the red poppy flowers from the woman with the child.
"Gare Saint-Lazare", which appeared in 1877, is considered one of the most daring paintings of the time, when the main motive for many canvases was a variety of landscapes. However, in this work, Monet's approach to his work can be traced. The author focuses the attention of viewers not on objects (station, locomotive, people), but on flowers. All models shown in the image do not have clear outlines.
The work, which appeared in 1882, shows the walk of two young women who stopped on a cliff near the coast. Despite the fact that “Walk to the Cliff at Pourville” gives the impression of some kind of spontaneity, Monet carefully planned the work. The artist has another layer of paint, when the previous one has not yet had time to dry.
"Rouen Cathedral"
“Rouen Cathedral” is not a painting, but a cycle of paintings similar to each other, depicting an architectural object of the same name. The works were created during the 1890s. These canvases represent the artist's attempts to play with colors. They were created at different times and weather. The artist, working on this cycle, tried to convey a certain moment.
The Water Lily Pond is Monet's most expensive painting. The creator completed it in 1916, and the work was carried out for about 7 years. It is noteworthy that the artist applied paints from memory. At this time, his eyesight began to deteriorate sharply.
The cost of works
In addition to the work “Pond with Water Lilies”, Monet created many paintings that today cost several tens of millions of dollars:
- "Water Lilies" - 53.9 million (an early painting with the same title costs 43 million).
- "Railway bridge at Argenteuil" - 41.4 million.
- Grand Canal - 35.6 million.
- Waterloo Bridge - 35.4 million.
- "The Path to the Water Lily Pond" - 32.9 million.
This list can be continued for a long time. Monet, unlike many of his contemporaries, was recognized as a great artist during his lifetime. This allowed him to support himself by working only on canvases.
Art and design
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23.01.15 11:24
A strict father (no wonder he headed the department of the French Ministry of Justice) Auguste Manet forbade his son to paint - he wanted his son to continue his work and become a lawyer. But contrary to the wishes of the family despot, Edward became a well-known artist, one of the brightest representatives of impressionism. The most famous paintings by Manet adorn the Louvre, museums in Berlin and other famous collections of paintings.
Master's still lifes
The Louvre keeps one of these masterpieces with the simple name "White Peonies". Already in this work, the characteristic manner of the Frenchman is manifested - broad strokes, a restrained palette. A pair of lush flowers on a dark background - and nothing more, but how alive!
At the beginning of his career, after a trip to Brazil that enriched the inner world of the future genius of the brush, Edouard Manet painted mainly landscapes and still lifes. He returned to them at the end of his life. "Still Life with Salmon" refers to 1969. The painter was a famous gourmet - like many of his compatriots. You look at such works - and the saliva flows!
These alluring female images
Not only "dead nature" attracted the master, but also portraits. One of them is Madame Manet on a blue sofa. Dutch Susanna Leenhof was a music teacher for the younger brothers of the artist. They say that the head of the family, Auguste, was carried away by the girl. Edward himself was also crazy about Suzanne, their romance lasted almost a decade. After the death of the priest, Manet was able to marry the chosen one. She is the mother of his son Leon and his favorite model.
Lola from Valencia is another of Manet's most famous paintings. The squat Spaniard is depicted by Manet against the backstage. Here he very carefully writes out all the details - both the appearance of the most posing woman and her intricate outfit. Each fold of clothing, patterned curve and glitter of jewelry - everything in this portrait plays its own special role.
A completely different mood is conveyed in the image of the dressing lady of the demimonde - "Nana". The morning of a representative of the most ancient profession begins with the usual toilet, she is still in negligee (in a corset and shirt). The noisy evening is still far away, and a vague smile wanders on the devil's face. A certain Henrietta, who became famous for her love affairs, posed for the artist.
Favorite places in Paris
Genre scenes gradually replaced the former artistic affections of the Parisian. He drew inspiration from various places in his beloved city. One of these places was the Tuileries Garden - bohemians liked to walk in it on Sundays. The painting “Music in the Tuileries Garden” depicts a lot of characters, but the faces are blurred - this canvas must be viewed from a fairly large distance, otherwise you will see only blurry spots.
At the words “Railway”, you probably imagine a puffing mighty steam locomotive or a swift modern train rushing along the rails into the distance. But Edouard Manet is not so simple! The paintings of the master are sometimes very conditional. Here, on the famous work of the Frenchman "Railway", the steel line is only guessed - there, behind the heavy iron grate, to which the baby clung. And her mother (or governess?) sits nearby, holding a book and a dog in her hands.
Among the flowers and at the table
Other genre scenes, too, seemed to be snatched out by a vigilant camera - here is a couple enjoying the aroma of flowering plants ("In the greenhouse").
And here is another couple - they are engaged in a leisurely conversation at the set table, and in the background a waiter is staring at these two, carrying an order to someone. The painting is called “In Papa Lathuille’s Tavern”.
Manet's masterpieces - paintings that caused controversy
All the same Quiz Myoran (the woman from the painting "Railway"), completely naked, appears before the audience of the infamous "Breakfast on the Grass". The author was reproached for decadence and shamelessness. I wonder what the artist was thinking when he depicted a naked lady looking directly at you, in the company of men (who, unlike a companion, are dressed)? By the way, the painter's brother and future brother-in-law posed for a relative.
Olympia caused even more controversy in its time (1863). The Frenchman painted it for the Paris Salon, where the image was booed by the public. As if Manet was the first author to flaunt the female body! The Renaissance is famous for its masterpieces in the nude style, but what about Rembrandt's "Danaë"?.. Now the masterpiece is kept in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Maestro's swan song
Before his untimely death, the maestro created his last canvas - “The Bar at the Folies Bergère”. It became an exhibit of another Paris Salon (1882). The scene of the picture is a bar located on the first floor of the popular metropolitan variety show. Right there, the painter began work on his creation. The central figure is a barmaid behind the counter, looking at the viewer with a longing look in her eyes, and a motley crowd is running around in the background. The master managed to convey this “loneliness in the crowd” simply brilliantly! On the last April day of 1883, Edouard Manet died, but his paintings are immortal.
The most famous paintings by Claude Monet
Claude Monet rejected the traditional approach to landscape painting and moved away from the clear depiction of forms and linear perspective that dominated the visual arts of that time.
Instead of copying recognized masters, he studied from his friends and from nature itself, observing the changes in color and light caused by the change of time of day or year - Monet's style finds its followers among the artists of the XXI century. However, his performance technique did not stand still, but over the years it underwent some changes, which can be seen by comparing early and late paintings by Monet.
"Women in the Garden" (1866)
"Women in the Garden" was painted by Monet on the outskirts of Paris under the name Ville-d "Evreux. His wife Camille became the only model for this picture: she depicted three of the women presented in the picture that we can see in the picture. The purpose of writing this large-scale and elaborate painting was to show the effects of real daylight, rather than pay attention to the model or drapery of the dress.
Using flashes of light that pierce the foliage of trees to soften shadows and warm skin tones a little, Monet emphasizes the natural light of the landscape. In January 1867, his friend Basile bought the work for 2,500 francs to help Monet get out of the heavy debts that forced him to cross out about two hundred of his works so that they would not go to creditors.
"Terrace at Sainte-Adresse" (1867)
This painting is completely different from Monet's later paintings. It depicts a garden at Sainte-Adresse, with a view of the seaport of Honfleur on the horizon. The models were Monet's relatives and friends: Monet's cousin, Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre, is standing near the fence, her father is nearby, and in the foreground, with their backs to the audience, Monet's father Adolphe and, probably, Lecadre's second daughter, Sophie, are sitting.
Claude Monet called this work "Chinese painting with flags"; Renoir referred to it as "Japanese painting with small flags" because it was reminiscent of Japanese color prints with its lines and very bright color palette. It is also interesting in that the composition of the painting does not have a central point, and the artist himself painted it, as if looking down at the landscape. This bright and very sunny picture seems to be a hymn to summer itself.
"The Thames Below Westminster (Westminster Bridge)" (1871)
With this painting, Monet shows us the foggy capital of England on a spring day.
This simple, asymmetrical composition is balanced by a horizontal bridge, boats floating on the waves, and a vertical jetty in the foreground. The background depicts the Houses of Parliament, or the Palace of Westminster, shrouded in mist. The entire plot is dominated by a thick layer of fog containing purple, green, pink and gold hues, which creates a special, dense atmosphere that displays the architecture in distant, blurry forms.
"Impression: The Rising Sun" (1872)
The content of the picture shows the viewer the morning in the port of Le Havre in France. We can see the sun rising over the port, while three more ships in the foreground try to draw our attention to themselves, and an unknown number of other moored ships drown in the haze. The general mood of the picture is rather gloomy, which is at odds with the bright, orange sun, which, with its rising, brings new life to the port. Small, short, almost dotted strokes allowed Monet to quickly capture this subject and the very feeling that the moment is not eternal.
An interesting story is connected with this canvas: it was thanks to her that Impressionism got its name when, two years after writing this paintings by Monet introduced it to the general public. This happened at the very first exhibition of the Impressionists, who then had no name, but were simply a group of artists who sought to acquaint the general public with their vision of art and with a new direction in painting.
However, the painting was smashed to smithereens by art critic Louis Leroy, calling the entire group of artists Impressionists, like the name of the painting (“impression” is translated into French as “impression”). The artists accepted the challenge and kept the name, which quickly lost its negative connotation.
"Field of poppies at Argenteuil" (1873)
Returning from England, Monet stopped at Argenteuil and lived there until 1878, which became a time of improvement for him. In the nearby area, Monet found vibrant landscapes that allowed him to explore the potential of plein air painting. In this painting, the artist has depicted a bright poppy field in the countryside, which is stirred by a light breeze. In the foreground of the landscape are a mother and child, presumably Monet's wife, Camille, and their son Jean.
The picture is visually divided into two parts using a diagonal: one is filled with bright spots of poppies, and the other looks empty, as if the artist completely forgot to pay attention to it. It is the red color that sets the structure of the picture. It is curious that if it is converted to black and white, most poppies will no longer be visible on it.
Boulevard des Capucines (1873)
Boulevard des Capucines depicts a scene of the turmoil of Parisian life that Monet could see from the studio of his friend, the photographer Felix Nadar. Here the artist uses short, quick strokes to bring people to life, to convey them in motion. Most likely, the picture depicts a morning or afternoon boulevard, during the period of early spring, when there is still snow on the roads.
The same Leroy critic, thanks to whom Impressionism is now called that way and not otherwise, was again not delighted with this painting by Monet: as before, this technique seemed to him unfinished, like a sketch, and he considered the Parisians on the canvas to be black blurry spots.
"Cliff Walk at Pourville" (1882)
The canvas depicts two young women in white clothes, who are walking along a cliff in a place called Pourville, a seaside resort located in the south of France.
In this work, Monet demonstrates how the landscape and the human figure can be combined without disturbing the unity of its surface. He integrated all these elements into the painting through texture and color. The grass is written in short, curved, sharp strokes, so that it seems to tremble in the wind, and with the help of almost the same, slightly modified strokes, Monet depicted women's dresses and scarves swollen in the wind, as well as waves on the surface of the sea.
"Lady with an umbrella" (1886)
The painting depicts Monet's first wife, Camille Donsier, along with their eldest son, Jean. The woman is holding an umbrella in her hands, and it seems as if she is catching someone's gaze on her. This early work is an example of a period in which Monet focused more on light and color than lines and volume.
The painting also showcases one of the artist's themes that he has used in his paintings for many years. The umbrella as a subject appeared quite often in his work, mainly because he painted his paintings directly on the street, where most women used umbrellas to protect their skin and eyes. The umbrella, moreover, creates a contrast of light and shadow in the face and clothing of the person being portrayed, showing from which direction the real light falls.
"Rouen Cathedral: main entrance in the sun" (1894)
This work is one of a whole series of paintings on the theme of Rouen Cathedral. Claude Monet painted the façade of the cathedral at different times of the day to explore the different lighting effects in winter. The bright orange and blue colors of the cathedral dominate the canvases, and only a small blue patch of sky is visible at the top of the painting. The artist uses translucent strokes to play with the light and texture of the stone surface of the cathedral.
To make the work move faster, Monet specifically settled right in front of his main object for painting. In 1895, he presented twelve "Cathedrals" at an exhibition at the Durand-Ruel Gallery, where they were both criticized and rewarded with praise from those audiences who stood up for Monet's artistic innovations.
"Water Lilies" ("Nymphaeums") (1916)
"Water Lilies" is part of Monet's large-scale series of water landscapes, which was conceived as early as 1909. The artist secretly worked on dozens of canvases, creating a panorama of water, lilies and sky in his studio, inspired by his garden in Giverny.
He painted these paintings in the last thirty years of his life, mainly from memory, since he was limited in the time of flowering of lilies and could not paint too quickly due to his rapidly deteriorating eyesight. The color palette and strokes, in contrast to early works, became more diverse, approaching expressionistic.
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Oscar Claude Monet (French Oscar-Claude Monet; November 14, 1840 (18401114), Paris - December 5, 1926, Giverny) - French painter, one of the founders of impressionism.
Oscar Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840 in Paris. When the boy was five years old, the family moved to Normandy, to Le Havre. The father wanted Claude to become a grocer and continue the family business. Monet's youth, as he himself later noted, was essentially the youth of a vagabond. He spent more time in the water and on the rocks than in class. School to him, by nature undisciplined, always seemed like a prison. He amused himself by painting the blue covers of notebooks and using them for portraits of his teachers, made in a very irreverent, caricature manner, and in this game he soon reached perfection. At fifteen, Monet was known throughout Le Havre as a caricaturist. He had so established his reputation that he was besieged from all sides with requests to make caricature portraits. The abundance of such orders and the lack of generosity of his parents inspired him with a bold decision that shocked his family: Monet took twenty francs for his portraits.
Having gained some fame in this way, Monet soon became an "important person" in the city. In the window of the only shop for art supplies, his cartoons proudly showed off, displayed five or six in a row, and when he saw the onlookers crowding in admiration in front of them, he "was ready to burst with pride." Often in the window of the same shop, Monet saw seascapes placed above his own works, which he, like most of his fellow citizens, considered “disgusting”. The author of the landscapes, which inspired him with "extreme disgust", was Eugene Boudin, and, not yet knowing this man, he hated him. He refused to get acquainted with him through the owner of the shop, but one day, going into it, he did not notice that Boudin was in the back half. The shop owner took the opportunity to introduce Monet to him as a young man with such a great talent for caricature.
“Boudin immediately approached me,” Monet recalled, “praised me in his soft voice and said: I always look at your drawings with pleasure; it's fun, easy, smart. You are talented - you can see it at first sight, but I hope you don't stop there. All this is very good for a start, but soon you will get tired of the caricature. Study, learn to see, write and draw, make landscapes. The sea and sky, animals, people and trees are so beautiful exactly in the form in which nature created them, with all their qualities, in their true being, such as they are, surrounded by air and light.
But, Monet himself admitted, Boudin's appeals had no effect. Ultimately, Monet liked this man. He was convinced, sincere, but Monet could not digest his painting, and when Boudin invited him to work in the open air with him, Monet always found a reason to politely refuse. Summer has come; Monet, tired of resisting, finally gave up, and Boudin willingly took up his training. “My eyes were finally opened,” Monet recalled, “I truly understood nature and at the same time learned to love it.”
Seventeen-year-old Oscar Monet could not find a better teacher, because Boudin was neither a doctrinaire nor a theoretician. He had a receptive eye, a clear mind, and was able to convey his observations and experiences in simple words. “Everything that is written directly on the spot,” he declared, for example, “is always distinguished by strength, expressiveness, liveliness of the brushstroke, which you will not achieve later in the workshop.” He also considered it necessary to "show extreme persistence in preserving the first impression, since it is the most correct", and at the same time insisted that "in the picture, not one part, but the whole should strike."
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Monet with his own eyes both in Russia and in other countries. However, his winter landscapes drew attention only recently. There are not so many of them: Monet preferred to paint the bright colors of summer - poppies, water, sailboats, blooming gardens.
4. Ice floes. Foggy morning. 1893
Claude Monet. Ice floes. Foggy morning. 1894 Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA The temperature is above zero, so the ice has already opened up, and fog has appeared. White and blue colors are diluted with gray and brown.
This landscape of the Seine River is not the only one - Monet liked to paint in series, showing how the same place can be different depending on the time of day and weather.
Paintings by Claude Monet from the Ice Floats series. 1893 Private collections.
In one month from the end of January to the end of February 1893, Monet managed to create as many as 13 paintings of this landscape on the Seine!
5. Lavacourt. Snow and sun. 1881
Claude Monet. Lavacour, snow and sun. 1881 London National Gallery. The village of Lavacourt is located on the banks of the Seine, and opposite is the village of Vetheuil, in which Monet lived with his family and where his son was born, and his wife was also buried. It was from this shore that he depicted the landscapes of the village of Vetheuil in 150 of his paintings.
The dim winter sun in the painting "Lavakur" - we do not see it, but we feel it by the yellowish-greenish tint of snow in the distant background. It seems that Monet wanted to show the approach of spring. 
Photo of the village of Veteil (near Paris)
In these places, of course, they remember their famous inhabitant. So, on the shore of the village of Lavacourt, information boards are made in the form of easels with paintings by Monet.
6. Road to Giverny in winter. 1885
Claude Monet. Road to Giverny in winter. 1885 Private collection. The artist lived in Giverny for 43 years. In this town is his house-museum with the famous garden with water lilies and a Japanese bridge. Of course, he wrote Giverny countless times. Basically, these are flowering, summer works. However, the winter here is also very picturesque.
