The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

ArtistsNetwork.com 53

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926) is,

without question, one of the most uni-

versally revered artists. The luxurious

color that inhabits his work speaks to

us of the sensuous pleasures of nature,

the promise of escape and the delight-

ful transformative properties of light.

Given his broad and direct appeal, it’s

difficult to imagine just how radical

his work was when he first began—

and to understand the ferocious and

derisive criticism it received.

Far from gaining quick acceptance,

Monet struggled financially for many

years, yet the artist never wavered,

The Denver Art Museum shines a light on the career of this

Impressionist artist who changed the world with his art.

by John A. Parks

Claude Monet:

The Parc Monceau

by Claude Monet

1878; oil on canvas,

28 ⅝ x21⅜

THE METROPOLITAN

MUSEUM OF ART: THE MR.

AND MRS. HENRY ITTLESON

JR. PURCHASE FUND, 1959

PHOTO CREDIT:

THE METROPOLITAN

MUSEUM OF ART

never considered taking up an alter-

native occupation; instead, he pur-

sued his ideas through painting,

embracing their consequences as he

forged entirely new notions of what

a painting might do and what a work

of art might be.

This fall, an exhibition at the

Denver Art Museum, “Claude Monet:

The Truth of Nature,” allows us to

track the various stages of the artist’s

long journey, both as a man and

a painter, through fine examples of

most of his motifs—from the early

tonal landscapes to the late water lilies.

THE EARLY YEARS

Monet was born in Paris

and grew up in Le Havre, on the

French coast, where his father was in

business as a ship’s chandler. Monet’s

early interest in art was in the form of

caricature and cartoons, which he

exhibited in shop windows as a teen-

ager. He had the good fortune to meet

the painter Eugène Boudin (French,

1824–1898), who lived in the area. It

was Boudin who introduced Monet to

the pleasures of painting outdoors,

an experience that confirmed in the

young man his determination to be

an artist. It wasn’t easy, however, as

Monet’s father wanted him to join the

family business, and his mother, who

encouraged him to paint, died while

the young Monet was still a teenager.

Having managed to get to Paris

to begin studying, Monet found him-

self drafted into the army and serving

for a year in North Africa. Although

most middle-class parents were able

to buy their children out of the army,

Monet’s father refused to do so

unless the boy promised to join his

business. Finally, an aunt paid for his

release with the proviso that he study

art seriously.

Thus, he found himself, more

or less penniless, studying under

Charles Gleyre (Swiss, 1806–1874),

an academic painter who had gath-

ered together an interesting group

of French pupils that included Pierre-

Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), Alfred

Sisley (1839–1899) and Frédéric

Bazille (1841–1870).

THE TRUTH OF NATURE