Claude Monet

1840 - 1926

Claude Monet was a prolific artist and the founder of the 19th century Impressionist art movement in France. Moving away from traditional art and painting techniques, Monet and his contemporaries introduced unconventional methods into mainstream art. They stressed on the importance of painting en plein air and loose brush strokes in their work which not only broke the rules of academic art, but would give future artists more freedom in how they depicted landscape imagery. Many of Monet’s paintings carry a simple but realistic focus on everyday images. His renowned series Water lilies (1899-1926) involves an emphasised use of colour, while his London Parliament series (1901-1904) conveys a mysterious visual depiction of the British political heartland.