Pearson

Amber Pearson
Patricia Bingham, Instructor
Art 1010, Artist Report
3 March 2016
Claude Monet
Artist Description
a. Personality: From what I can gather of Monets personality, he is a friendly guy and had a
gift for, inspiring friendships. (Spate, 1992 Introducation p.11). I would assume he was a
natural leader where he was recognized early on as a lead painter in his generation. (Spate, 1992
Introduction p.10). He wouldve had to have drive and motivation to be successful in painting.
Relationships were important to him family and friends whom he saw often and spent time with.
Painting was obviously Monets passion. He also enjoyed reading, going to the theatre, attending
exhibitions, watching wrestling matches and going to motor car races. (Spate, 1992 Introduction
p. 11). His all time favorite was being on the river boating. As a child he seemed free spirited and
had an idea and plan of his own. He would often skip school to go on walks and like to associate
with other artists that he felt would be inflectional to him. Spate, 1992 Introduction p.11). He
was a dreamer and painted things as he saw them not as they are. Claude also was creative,
curious and was rebellious when it came to rules and staying inside the lines.
b. Temperament:
Some spoke of him being, curiously absent from his own story (Spate, 1992 Introduction
p.10). There isnt a record of him speaking of his feelings for others except his wife and children.
He seemed detached some would say. He had a lot of self-doubt and was a perfectionist when it
came to painting. (Claude Monet, 2012). He relied heavily on the money his paintings produced.
He loved money and would spend a lot of it. He would borrow money from friends who he relied
on. Some say he was chronically mean and this comes from when he couldnt get his painting

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just write and wasnt satisfied with it his close family paid for it with his temper. He was
irrationally fearful of loosing everything with his need to be in debt didnt help. He had tenacity
and strength of will power. He made things happen once he set his mind to it. He had a gift for
inspiring others. (Spate, 1992 Introduction p.11).
c. Family Life
It does not speak of siblings. His mother passed away when he was seventeen. (Spate, 1992
Introduction p.12). His dad owned a grocery store and wanted him to take over (Claude Monet,
2016). His mother was a singer and the one who encouraged his artistic side. (Spate, 1992
Introduction p.12). His aunt took care of him after his mother passed. He was married to two
women. The first one passed away from Tuberculosis and uterine cancer at age 32. (Wikipedia,
2016). Camille was her name and they had two sons, one named Jean and the other Michel. His
second wife Alice had six children of her own and she helped finish raising his two sons. His
family is what helped him create his paintings. (Wikipedia, 2016).
d. Time Period.
Claude Monet was born November 14, 1840 in Paris, France. Years worked as an artist from
1850 to 1920, which was up until he died on December 5, 1926 in Giverny France. (Claude
2012).
The time period was in a time of war and slavery was on the brink of being abolished. Life was
changing and the economy growing. There was a lot of wealth to be had and you had to go after
it to keep up with the rich and famous. It was a transition period when old things were being
done away with and new things coming to life. Society was threatened by this change. They felt
loss and disintegration and all the values were transforming into monetary ones. So they had fear
of the consequences of change as well as excitement for the gain of wealth and new

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opportunities. He painted in the 1862 modern urban life characterized in terms of loss. The loss
of dreams and being common everyone was turning toward individualism. He saw life as fragile
and unstable, always changing. (Spate, 1992, Introduction p. 10).
Painting of the Water-Lily Pond
Description of painting: The Water- Lily Pond with the Japanese footbridge. It was one of 12
paintings he painted using the same view. This garden was on the property in Giverny where he
lived. He spent the last years of his life painting the garden. It was difficult for him to see
because he had developed cataracts in his eyes. (Wikipedia, 2016).
Why: He finished the series and I think it shows determination and his true passion for painting.
It also shows how talented he was. He was able to paint and produce such beautiful painting of
the landscape even with the difficulty seeing that the cataracts brought on.
Describe your emotions: Peaceful, rest and relaxation. It is awe striking beautiful and draws me
in, wanting to be there and to sit within the painting to touch smell, feel the air and soak in the
serenity. Looking at it makes me feel beauty, wonder and awe.
Describe the Principles and Elements used:
The elements of lighting, color and time. It looks alive and real even though it is not. He was
good at following the natural principles of nature as well as pushing the limits to shape, create
and make it his own piece.
Artists Style:
His paintings were true to the laws of nature. He has the ability to spontaneously capture those
visual moments that are on the verge of disappearing. It is the moments when the lighting is just
right but only for a split second. They are the breath taking moments that you only see once in a

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while because they come and go so quickly. He was the best at painting landscapes. He wasnt as
good at depicting the emotions of the people he painted in his scenery. Some would say he
couldnt paint people with emotion or souls because he doesnt feel the life of the model even
though they were painted around the beauty of nature. (Spate, 1992 Introduction p. 11).
References:
A. Book from a physical library
Spate, Virginia, and Claude Monet. Claude Monet: Life and Work. New York: Rizzoli, 1992.
Print.
B. One online website
"Claude Monet (1840 1926), Artist Who Inspires." Oil Pastels by Mary. 2012. Web. 24 Jan.
2016.
"Claude Monet." Famous Birthdays. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
C. The following Art Data Base. http://www.ahdb.org/
"Claude Monet." Prezi.com. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.