Claude Monet

Claude Monet (1840-1926) spent most of his career painting his own spontaneous impression of nature. He gave the title of Impressionism to the school of art he created together with Manet, Renoir, Pissaro, Caillebotte and Sisley. Today, Claude Monet belongs to the classic painters of all times: not only was he the most important of the impressionists, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest of his profession. Paul Cézanne paid him the most telling compliment: 'Monet is an eye, the most wonderful eye since there have been artists.' The man Monet, however, has remained hidden behind the work of the artist, despite the fact that the man left numerous autobiographical notes about himself, which together with other contemporary sources, paint the picture of a strong yet contradictory character. Monet united in himself many admirable but also less pleasant features: He could be at the same time depressed and euphoric, stingy and extravagant, opportunistic and unyielding, obstinate and compromising, selfish and utterly selfless. After the young artist had ambitiously planned his career, fame - when it eventually came - did not mean that much to him. The well-documented history of Impressionism will not be re-drawn here. It is the man and the artist Monet who will be critically portrayed and who will become more tangible and real to the reader. This new biography sheds light on the man and places him in context as a sensitive artist of his time.