Claude Monet is regarded as the father of Impressionism. No other artist of the period had the longevity of career and perseverance with the Impressionist movement. Today Monet's paintings are national treasures commanding astonishing prices on auction. Monet achieved fame and fortune in his lifetime, but we must also look at this early career struggles. It is in these hard times that Monet's true character stood out among others. Let us examine this period a little closer.
Claude Monet's Early Career:
Claude Monet was born in 1840 in Paris, but his family moved to the Normandy town of Le Havre when he was five years old. From a young age, Monet showed an innate talent and passion for drawing and painting. He made good pocket money selling caricatures of businessmen and prominent local citizens. As a teenager in the late 1850s, he became friends with fellow aspiring artist Eugène Boudin, who taught him to paint in the open air and study the varying effects of light. Despite his bourgeois family's wishes for him to pursue a more stable career, Monet was determined to become a professional painter. In 1859, at age 19, he moved to Paris to attend the Académie Suisse. However, he found the traditional instruction stifling and soon began studying independently by painting city scenes en plein air along the Seine and streets of Paris. In 1861, Monet's mother died, leaving the family in difficult financial straits. His father could no longer support his pursuit of art, so Monet was forced to live a bohemian lifestyle, struggling to get by while continuing his outdoor painting studies. During this impoverished period in the early 1860s, he met fellow painters like Frédéric Bazille, Alfred Sisley and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who became close friends and shared his revolutionary interest in capturing the transient effects of natural light. In 1865, two of Monet's paintings were accepted into the prestigious annual Salon in Paris. This was a significant milestone, bringing him some recognition in the art world. To support himself, he began painting portraits and took on other commissions. In 1866, his first son Jean was born. Letter To Frederick Bazille, Paris 20th of May 1867: Manet's opening is in two days and he's in a frightdul state. Courbet opens a week today, next Monday that is. That's quite another story. Can you imagine, inviting every artist in Paris to the opening. He's sending 3,000 invitations and on top of that, every artist also gets a copy of his catalog. Rest assured he's doing well. His intention is to hold on to the building where he is already, and had a studio built on the first floor, and next year he'll rent the room out whenever anyone wants to hold an exhibition there. So let's work hard and end up there with some pictures that are beyond criticism. Renoir and I are still working on our views of Paris. I saw Camille yesterday. I don't know what to do, she is ilI , bedridden and penniless and as I count on leaving on the second or third of the latest I have to remind you of your promise to send me 50 Francs at least for the first of the month. -__________________________________ LETTER PARIS 29 JUNE 1868 TO FREDERIC BAZILLE: A hasty note to ask you to come speedily to my rescue if you can. I must have been born under an unlucky star. I've just been turned out, without a shirt to my back, from the inn where I was staying. I found somewhere safe in the country for Camille and my poor little Jean to stay for a few days. As for myself, I arrived here this morning and I leave this evening very shortly for Le Havre, to try and see if my patron can help me. Don't fail to write as soon as you receive this if you can do something for me, in any case, I expect a word from you. Write to me at Le Havre, post restante and as my family refuses to do anything more for me, so I don't even know yet where I'll be sleeping tomorrow. Your loyal and tormmented friend, Claude Monet. P.S. I was so upset yesterday that I was stupid enough to hurl mysel into the water. Fortunately No Harm was done. _____________________ Paris 2 June 1869 Letter to Arsene Houssaye: My rejection at the salon brought an end to my hesitation since after this failure I can no longer claim to cope. That fatal rejection has virtually taken the bread out of my mouth and despite my extremely modest prices dealers and art lovers are turning their backs on me. It is above all very depressing to see the lack of interest shown in an art of object which has no marketd value. I thought and I hope you will excuse me for this, that since you have already found a painting of mine to your taste, you might perhaps like to see the few canvases I was able to save from the bailiffs. I'm in quite a desperate state and the worst is that I can no longer even work. It goes without saying that I will do anything at any price to pull myself out of a situation like this so that I can start working immediately on my next salon picture, and insure further that such a thing should not happen again. I hope you all forgive my boldness in writing to you and that you will be so kind as to give my request due consideration. Your most obedient servant. Claude Monet The Franco-Prussian War When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, Monet took refuge in London for several months. There he studied the works of Turner and Constable, whose atmospheric landscapes greatly influenced his developing style focused on capturing the shifting luminosity of nature. Upon returning to France, he moved to Argenteuil near Paris, where he created some of his most famous early Impressionist paintings depicting the waters of the Seine and leisure activities. First Exhibition In 1874, a group of artists including Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Degas, Pissarro and others organized the first Impressionist group exhibition. The show was derided by critics for its unconventional techniques and subject matter focused on modern life, but it marked the public emergence of the Impressionist movement. Monet displayed works that epitomized the Impressionist style, such as Impression, Sunrise, with its soft, broken brushwork and depiction of the atmospheric play of light. Letter Monday 28 June 1875 to Edward Manet: It's getting more and more difficult. Not a penny lift since the day before yesterday and no more credit at the butchers or the bakers. Even though I believe in the future, you can see the present is very hard indeed. So could you send something then on whatever terms to a broker? Only be careful as to whom you choose to deal with, in case some harm comes of it. You couldn't possibly send me a 20 Franc note by return of post could you? it would help me out for the time being. best wishes Claude Monet ____________________________________ Letter 25 July 1876 to George debellio: I'm writing to you with a heavy heart to ask you, if you have the time, to come and choose the two sketches that you were kind enough to buy and pay for in advance. I can find no way out of it. The creditors are proving impossible to deal with and short of a sudden appearance on the scene of wealthy art patrons, we are going to be turned out of this dear little house where I led a simple life and was able to work so well. I do not know what will become of us and yet I had so much fire in me and so many plans. Over the next few years, Monet and the core Impressionist group continued mounting group shows and gaining some followers, though they still struggled for acceptance from the established French art institutions. Monet had a son Michel in 1878 with his longtime partner Camille Doncieux, but money troubles and lack of sales persisted. He was often forced to live with others or rely on patronage from wealthy supporters like the Hoschedé family. Letter 17 August 1879 to George de Bellio: For a long time I've been hoping for better days ahead but alas I believe the time has come for me to abandon all hope. My poor Wife is in increasing pain and I cannot imagine that she could be any weaker than she is now. Not only does she not have the strength to stand up or walk one step, but she cannot hold down the slightest bit of nourishment. One has to be at her bedside continually attending to her smallest wish in the hope of relieving her suffering, and the saddest thing is, that we cannot always satisfy these immediate needs for lack of money. I would ask another favor of you, which is to help us out from your own pocket. We have no resources whatsoever. I have a few canvases, take them for whatever price you like but please respond to my call for help and send us what you can. Two or 300 Francs now would save us from hardship and anxiety. With aanother 100 Francs more I could procure the canvas and paints I need to work. Do what you can, in short, I told our landlady to let you in, so look at my paintings and buy them for whatever you like. Awaiting your reply and I send you my best wishes: Claude Monet Family Tragedy In 1879, Monet's wife Camille became ill with tuberculosis. To try to improve her health, they moved to a small town outside Paris. However, she passed away in 1879 at the young age of 32. This was a profound blow and marked the end of an era, as Monet completed his transition from the formative phase of his career into artistic maturity as a leader of the Impressionist movement during the 1880s. Though he endured great hardship and poverty early on, his perseverance in studying and innovating plein air painting techniques made him a central figure in the revolutionary new Impressionist style. The London Influence Monet's brief stint in London during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 proved to be a pivotal point in solidifying his Impressionist painting approach. His exposure to the work of British landscape painters Joseph Mallord William Turner and John Constable while in London was hugely influential and catalyzed his move towards the core Impressionist techniques. From Turner's atmospheric, almost abstracted landscapes, Monet gained an appreciation for capturing the overall impression of the shifting light, atmosphere and color, rather than precise details. Turner's swirling brushwork and blending of color washes on the canvas demonstrated how to evoke the transient effects of weather and luminosity on a scene. Constable's paintings, especially his cloud studies, showed Monet new ways of studying the subtle tones and values of the open air environment by working directly from nature. Constable's broken brushwork and visible separate strokes laid side-by-side allowed the mixing of color to occur optically on the canvas itself, creating a vibrant, flickering effect. Both Turner and Constable emphasized rendering truth to the visual perception through expressive brush handling and color, rather than academic idealization. This resonated with Monet's own efforts to capture the en plein air scenes he observed along the Seine and Normandy coastline in a more immediate, naturalistic way. After London, Monet shed the last vestiges of the traditional landscape techniques he learned in art school. He adopted a brighter palette, with unmixed color strokes laid side-by-side to recreate the shifting outdoor light and atmospheric conditions as he perceived them in the moment. His brushwork became looser, broken into dappled strokes, flicking the canvas to recreate the shimmering dissolved forms he saw outdoors. Works like his Impression, Sunrise from 1872 epitomized this new style, with its quickly rendered scene of the harbor at Le Havre using delicate dabs of color and soft edges to recreate the play of diffuse morning light on the water. This and other works from the early 1870s after London launched Monet's full immersion into the core techniques that would define Impressionist painting - prioritizing truthful depiction of optical effects over physical realism by applying broken brushwork and unmixed colors to capture the contingencies of light, atmosphere and the passage of time. Monet's Patrons Paul Durand-Ruel He had an enormously important relationship with Claude Monet and played a pivotal role in the development and success of the Impressionist movement. Durand-Ruel was an art dealer and one of the first champions and patrons of the Impressionist painters. In the early 1870s, when the Impressionists were struggling artists scorned by the establishment, Durand-Ruel began buying their works that critics mocked and the public rejected. He developed a close relationship with Monet, becoming one of his most ardent supporters. Durand-Ruel provided Monet with financial support through times of abject poverty by effectively giving him a stipend and guaranteed income by purchasing his paintings on a regular basis. Letter 26 March 1881 to Paul Durand Ruel: I received your letter thank you for your generosity. Have to settle various expenses here and there before the end of the month. Therefore it would be extremely kind of you if you could send me the sum in question before Wednesday. I'm working hard. I'm putting a lot of effort into it and I hope to bring you back some good things. I thank in advance and send my best regards, Claude Monet This backing allowed the perseverant but impoverished Monet to continue painting and experimenting with his innovative Impressionist techniques without fear of destitution. Durand-Ruel's faith in Monet and the other Impressionists was an essential lifeline for the movement's survival in those early years. Beyond the financial assistance, Durand-Ruel also worked tirelessly as an ambassador promoting and exhibiting the Impressionist works. He organized group shows of their paintings in Paris as well as cities like London, Brussels and New York to increase visibility and cultivate appreciation for the new style. Durand-Ruel amassed an enormous collection of Impressionist works, possessing over 1,000 Monets alone at various points. He evangelized about their talents and profoundly believed the Impressionists would eventually gain recognition as great innovators. His unwavering support and promotion was vindicated when taste began to shift in the 1880s and 1890s. The new audiences he had introduced to Impressionism started appreciating and avidly collecting the works, allowing him to sell his Monet trove for profits. Monet was forever grateful, later reflecting that only Durand-Ruel's backing allowed him "to rise above the quagmire of poverty." Their decades-long relationship of dealer and painter was extraordinarily symbiotic - Durand-Ruel's material and moral support giving Monet the means to flourish creatively, while Monet's genius provided the works that eventually brought Durand-Ruel acclaim as the entrepreneur who almost single-handedly turned public opinion toward Impressionism. Never Give Up We can forget that Monet was just a man who rose above his circumstances due to perseverance, grit and fostering his talent. It is a lesson to us today. Nothing great happens without hard word and the ability to keep your head despite hard times. We can enjoy the paintings Monet produced, but must remember that it is due to Monet's strength of character that those paintings were created in the first place. 
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AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa 
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