Editing Claude Monet (section)

==Method==
[[File:Edouard Manet 010.jpg|thumb|[[Édouard Manet]], ''Claude Monet in Argenteuil'', 1874, [[Neue Pinakothek]]]]
Monet has been described as "the driving force behind Impressionism".<ref name="GJ">{{Cite book|title = Impressionist Painters|last = Jennings|first = Guy|publisher = Octopus Books|year = 1986|isbn = 978-0-7064-2660-1|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/impressionistpai0000jenn}}</ref> Crucial to the art of the Impressionist painters was the understanding of the effects of light on the local colour of objects, and the effects of the juxtaposition of colours with each other.<ref name="HelenGardner">{{Cite book|title = Art through the Ages|last = Gardner|first = Helen|publisher = Harcourt College Pub|year = 1995|isbn = 978-0-15-501141-0|page = 669|edition = 10th Reiss}}</ref> His free flowing style and use of colour have been described as "almost ethereal" and the "[epitome] of impressionist style"; ''Impression, Sunrise'' is an example of the "fundamental" Impressionist principle of depicting only that which is purely visible.<ref name=":63" /><ref name=":1" /> Monet was fascinated with the effects of light, and painting [[en plein air]]—he believed that his only "merit lies in having painted directly in front of nature, seeking to render my impressions of the most fleeting effects"{{sfn|Levine|1986|pp=65–75}}<ref name=":1" /> Wanting to "paint the air", he often combined modern life subjects in outdoor light.{{Sfn|Januszczak|1985|p=126}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rollins|first=Mark|date=2004|title=What Monet Meant: Intention and Attention in Understanding Art|journal=The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism|volume=62|issue=2|pages=175–188|doi=10.1111/j.1540-594X.2004.00150.x|jstor=1559201|issn=0021-8529|doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[File:Sargent MonetPainting.jpg|thumb|[[John Singer Sargent]], ''Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood'', 1885, [[Tate Britain]]]]
Monet made light the central focus of his paintings. To capture its variations, he would sometimes complete a painting in one sitting, often without preparation.{{Sfn|Perkins|2013|p=73, 88}} He wished to demonstrate how light altered colour and perception of reality.<ref name=":63" /> His interest in light and reflection began in the late 1860s and lasted throughout his career.{{sfn|Tinterow|Loyrette|1994|p=418}} During his first time in London, he developed an admiration for the relationship between the artist and motifs—for what he deemed the "envelope".<ref name=":9" /> He utilised pencil drawings to quickly note subjects and motifs for future reference.<ref name=":11" />

Monet's portrayal of landscapes emphasised industrial elements such as railways and factories; his early seascapes featured brooding nature depicted with muted colours and local residents.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":5" /> Critic, and friend of Monet, [[Théodore Duret]] noted, in 1874, that he was "little attracted by rustic scenes...He [felt] particularly drawn towards nature when it is embellished and towards urban scenes and for preference he paint[ed] flowery gardens, parks and groves."<ref name="House" /> When depicting figures and landscapes in tandem, Monet wished for the landscape to not be a mere backdrop and the figures not to dominate the composition.{{Sfn|Bailey|Rishel|Rosenthal|1989|pp=54}} His dedication to such a portrayal of landscapes resulted in Monet reprimanding Renoir for defying it.{{Sfn|Bailey|Rishel|Rosenthal|1989|pp=54}} He often depicted the suburban and rural leisure activities of Paris and as a young artist experimented with [[still life]]s.{{sfn|Tinterow|Loyrette|1994|p=418}}<ref name=":5" /> From the 1870s onwards, he gradually moved away from suburban and urban landscapes—when they were depicted it was to further his study of light.<ref name=":13" /> Contemporary critics—and later academics—felt that with his choice of showcasing Belle Île, he had indicated a desire to move away from the modern culture of Impressionist paintings and instead towards [[Primitivism|primitive]] nature.<ref name=":15" />

After meeting Boudin, Monet dedicated himself to searching for new and improved methods of painterly expression. To this end, as a young man, he visited the Salon and familiarised himself with the works of older painters, and made friends with other young artists.<ref name="GJ" /> The five years that he spent at [[Argenteuil]], spending much time on the River Seine in a little floating studio, were formative in his study of the effects of light and reflections. He began to think in terms of colours and shapes rather than scenes and objects. He used bright colours in dabs and dashes and squiggles of paint. Having rejected the academic teachings of Gleyre's studio, he freed himself from theory, saying "I like to paint as a bird sings."<ref>Jennings, p. 130</ref> Boudin, Daubigny, Jongkind, Courbet, and Corot were among Monet's influences and he would often work in accordance with developments in [[avant-garde]] art.{{Sfn|Januszczak|1985|p=154}}{{sfn|Levine|1986|pp=65–75}}{{Sfn|Bailey|Rishel|Rosenthal|1989|pp=54}}{{sfn|Brettell|Hayes Tucker|Henderson Lee|2009|pp=65}}

In 1877 a series of paintings at St-Lazare Station had Monet looking at smoke and steam and the way that they affected colour and visibility, being sometimes [[Opacity (optics)|opaque]] and sometimes [[Transparency and translucency|translucent]]. He was to further use this study in the painting of the effects of mist and rain on the landscape.<ref>Jennings (1986), p. 132</ref> The study of the effects of atmosphere was to evolve into a number of series of paintings in which Monet repeatedly painted the same subject (such as his water lilies series)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/claude-monet|title=Claude Monet|language=en-US|website=[[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum]]|access-date=6 June 2021|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423082209/https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/claude-monet|url-status=live}}</ref> in different lights, at different hours of the day, and through the changes of weather and season. This process began in the 1880s and continued until the end of his life in 1926.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} In his later career, Monet "transcended" the Impressionist style and begun to push the boundaries of art.<ref name=":63" />{{sfn|Easton|2009|pp=866–867}}

[[File:Monet in his studio.jpg|thumb|Monet in his studio, {{Circa|1920}}]]
Monet refined his palette in the 1870s, consciously minimising the use of darker tones and favouring pastel colours. This coincided with his softer approach, using smaller and more varied brush strokes. His palette would again undergo change in the 1880s, with more emphasis than before on harmony between [[Color theory|warm and cold]] [[hue]]s.<ref name=":11" /> Following his optical operation in 1923, Monet returned to his style from before a decade ago. He forwent garish colours or "coarse application" for emphasised colour schemes of blue and green.<ref name=":0" /> Whilst suffering from cataracts, his paintings were more broad and abstract—from the late 1880s onwards, he had simplified his compositions and sought subjects that could offer broad colour and tone.<ref name=":0" />{{Sfn|Wildenstein|1978|p=12}} He increasingly used red and yellow tones, a trend that first started following his trip to Venice.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Lane|first1=Russell|last2=Carey|first2=Nessay|last3=Orrell|first3=Richard|last4=Moxley|first4=Richard T.|date=8 March 1997|title=Claude Monet's vision|journal=[[The Lancet]]|language=English|volume=349|issue=9053|pages=734|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(05)60177-8|issn=0140-6736|pmid=9078229|s2cid=12528818|doi-access=free}}</ref> Monet often travelled alone at this time—from France to Normandy to London; to the [[Rivera]] and [[Rouen]]—in search of new and more challenging subjects.{{sfn|Brettell|Hayes Tucker|Henderson Lee|2009|pp=63}}{{Sfn|Wildenstein|1978|p=11}}[[File:MonetRouenClark.jpg|left|thumb|274x274px|''Rouen Cathedral, the Façade in Sunlight'', c. 1892–94, [[Clark Art Institute]], [[Williamstown, Massachusetts]]]]The stylistic change was likely a by-product of the disorder and not an intentional choice.<ref name=":0" /> Monet would often work on large canvases due to the deterioration of his eyesight and by 1920 he admitted that he had grown too accustomed to broad painting to return to small canvases.<ref name=":63"/>{{Sfn|Bailey|Rishel|Rosenthal|1989|pp=58}} The influence of his cataracts on his output has been a topic of discussion among academics; Lane et al. (1997) argues the occurrence of a deterioration from the late 1860s onwards led to a diminishing of sharp lines.<ref name=":1" /> Gardens were a focus throughout his art, becoming prominent in his later work, especially during the last decade of his life.<ref name="House" />{{Sfn|Bailey|Rishel|Rosenthal|1989|pp=57}} [[Daniel Wildenstein]] noted a "seamless" continuity in his paintings that was "enriched by innovation".{{Sfn|Wildenstein|1978|p=11}}
[[File:Monet dans son atelier.jpg|thumb|Monet in his studio, {{Circa|1920}}]]
From the 1880s onwards—and particularly in the 1890s—Monet's series of paintings of specific subjects sought to document the different conditions of light and weather.<ref name=":11" /> As light and weather changed throughout the day, he switched between canvases—sometimes working on as many as eight at one time—usually spending an hour on each.<ref name=":11" /> In 1895, he exhibited 20 paintings of ''[[Rouen Cathedral (Monet)|Rouen Cathedral]],'' showcasing the [[façade]] in different conditions of light, weather and atmosphere.<ref name=":11" /> The paintings do not focus on the grand Medieval building, but on the play of light and shade across its surface, transforming the solid masonry.<ref>Jennings p. 137</ref> For this series, he experimented with creating his own frames.{{sfn|Perkins|2013|pp=35}}

His first series exhibited was of [[Haystacks (Monet)|haystacks]], painted from different points of view and at different times of the day. Fifteen of the paintings were exhibited at the [[Paul Durand-Ruel|Galerie Durand-Ruel]] in 1891. In 1892 he produced twenty-six views of ''[[Rouen Cathedral (Monet)|Rouen Cathedral]]''.<ref name="HelenGardner" /> Between 1883 and 1908, Monet travelled to the [[Mediterranean]], where he painted landmarks, landscapes, and seascapes, including a series of paintings in [[Venice, Italy|Venice]]. In London he painted four series: ''the [[London Parliament (Monet)|Houses of Parliament, London]]'', ''[[Charing Cross Bridge series (Monet)|Charing Cross Bridge]]'', ''Waterloo Bridge'', and ''Views of Westminster Bridge''. Helen Gardner writes:

{{blockquote|Monet, with a scientific precision, has given us an unparalleled and unexcelled record of the passing of time as seen in the movement of light over identical forms.<ref name=HG>Gardner, Helen. ''Art through the Ages''. p. 669</ref>}}
<gallery heights="150" widths="180" perrow="4" caption="Series of paintings">
File:La Gare Saint-Lazare - Claude Monet.jpg|''La Gare Saint-Lazare'', 1877, [[Musée d'Orsay]]
File:Claude Monet - Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare - Google Art Project.jpg|''[[Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare]]'', 1877, [[The Art Institute of Chicago]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/16571|title=Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare – The Art Institute of Chicago|website=artic.edu|year=1877|access-date=15 December 2013|archive-date=5 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105031535/http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/16571|url-status=live}}</ref> a part of Monet's ''[[Gare Saint-Lazare (Monet series)|Gare Saint-Lazare]]'' series.
File:Claude Monet The Cliffs at Etretat.jpg|''The Cliffs at Etretat'', 1885, [[Clark Art Institute]]
File:Monet - Segelboote hinter der Nadel bei Eretat 1885.jpg|''Sailboats behind the needle at Etretat'', 1885
File:Scogli a Belle-Île.jpg|''[[The Pyramides at Port-Coton, Rough Sea]]'', 1886, [[Pushkin Museum]], [[Moscow]]
File:Claude Monet - Les Pyramides de Port-Coton, effet de soleil.jpg|''The Pyramides at Port-Coton, Sun Effect'', 1886, Private collection
File:Claude Monet, Grainstacks in the Sunlight, Morning Effect, 1890, oil on canvas 65 x 100 cm.jpg|Two paintings from a series of grainstacks, 1890–91: ''Grainstacks in the Sunlight, Morning Effect''
File:1270 Wheatstacks, 1890-91, 65.8 x 101 cm, 25 7-8 x 39 3-4 in, The Art Institute of Chicago.jpg|''Grainstacks, end of day, Autumn'', 1890–1891, [[Art Institute of Chicago]]
File:Monet-fondazione-magnani-rocca.png|Falaise a Pourville soleil levant, 1897, [[Magnani-Rocca Foundation]]
File:Falaise à Pourville (1896) Claude Monet (W 1421).jpg|Falaise a Pourville soleil levant, 1897, private collection
File:Claude Monet - Les Peupliers.jpg|''[[Poplars (Monet series)|Poplars (Autumn)]]'', 1891, [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]]
File:Monet Poplars on the River Epte.jpg|''[[Poplars (Monet series)|Poplars at the River Epte]]'', 1891 [[Tate]], London
File:Claude Monet - Rouen Cathedral, Facade (Sunset).JPG|''Rouen Cathedral at sunset'', 1893, Musée Marmottan Monet
File:Getty monet rouen cathedral.jpg|Rouen Cathedral, ''Morning Light'', 1894, [[J. Paul Getty Museum]]
File:Claude Monet - Branch of the Seine near Giverny.JPG|''The Seine Near Giverny'', 1897, [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]
File:Claude Monet - Morning on the Seine - Google Art Project.jpg|''Morning on the Seine'', 1898, [[National Museum of Western Art]], Tokyo
File:Charing Cross Bridge, Monet.jpg|''Charing Cross Bridge'', 1899, [[Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum]], Madrid
File:Claude Monet - Charing Cross Bridge (Saint Louis).jpg|''Charing Cross Bridge, London'', 1899–1901, [[Saint Louis Art Museum]]
File:Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament, London, 1900-1903, 1933.1164, Art Institute of Chicago.jpg|Two paintings from a series of ''[[Houses of Parliament (Monet series)|The Houses of Parliament, London]]'', 1900–01, [[Art Institute of Chicago]]
File:London, the Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Opening in Fog, by Claude Monet.jpg|''London, Houses of Parliament. The Sun Shining through the Fog'', 1904, [[Musée d'Orsay]]
File:Claude Monet, Le Grand Canal.jpg|''Grand Canal, Venice'', 1908, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
File:Monet Grand Canal Legion of Honor.jpg|''Grand Canal, Venice'', 1908, [[Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]]
File:Claude Monet, Saint-Georges majeur au crépuscule.jpg|''[[San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk]]'', 1908, [[National Museum Cardiff]], [[Wales]]
File:Monet, Claude - The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice - Google Art Project.jpg|''[[San Giorgio Maggiore]]'', 1908, [[Indianapolis Museum of Art]] 
</gallery>

===Water lilies===
{{main|Water Lilies (Monet series)}}
Following his return from London, Monet painted mostly from nature, in his own garden; its water lilies, its pond and its bridge. From 22 November to 15 December 1900, another exhibition dedicated to him was held at the Durand-Ruel gallery, with around ten versions of the ''Water Lilies'' exhibited. This same exhibition was organized in February 1901 in New York City, where it was met with great success.<ref name="Lobstein" />

In 1901, Monet enlarged the pond of his home by buying a meadow located on the other side of the Ru, the local watercourse. He then divided his time between work on nature and work in his studio.<ref>Daniel&nbsp;Wildenstein,&nbsp;Monet ou le Triomphe de l'Impressionnisme, Cologne, Taschen,&nbsp;1996, p. 362</ref>

The canvases dedicated to the water lilies evolved with the changes made to his garden. In addition, around 1905, Monet gradually modified his aesthetics by abandoning the perimeter of the body of water and therefore modifying his perspective. He also changed the shape and size of his canvases by moving from rectangular stretchers to square and then circular stretchers.<ref name="Lobstein" />

These canvases were created with great difficulty: Monet spent a significant amount of time reworking them in order to find the perfect effects and impressions. When he deemed them unsuccessful he did not hesitate to destroy them. He continually postponed the Durand-Ruel exhibition until he was satisfied with the works. After several postponements dating back to 1906, the exhibition titled ''Les Nymphéas'' opened on 6 May 1909. Comprising forty-eight paintings dating from 1903 to 1908, representing a series of landscapes and water lily scenes, the exhibition was again a success.<ref name="Lobstein" />

<gallery widths="240" perrow="3" caption="Water lilies">
File:Le bassin aux nymphéas - Claude Monet.jpg|{{lang|fr|[[Le Bassin Aux Nymphéas]]}}, 1919. Monet's late series of water lily paintings are among his best-known works.
File:WLA metmuseum Water Lilies by Claude Monet.jpg|''Water Lilies'', 1919, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], New York
File:Claude Monet - Water Lilies, 1917-1919.JPG|''[[Water Lilies]]'', 1917–1919, [[Honolulu Museum of Art]]
File:Claude Monet 044.jpg|''Water Lilies'', 1920, [[National Gallery]], London
File:Claude Monet, Water Lilies, ca. 1915-1926.jpg|''Water Lilies'', {{Circa|1915–1926}}, [[Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art]], Kansas City, Missouri
File:Claude Monet - Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond.jpg|''Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond'', {{Circa|1920}}, [[Museum of Modern Art]], New York
</gallery>