11 Interesting Facts About Claude Monet

Claude Monet was one of the best-known artists in history. He was born in 1840 and died in 1926, spending most of his life living in France. Monet is best known for his series of paintings depicting water lilies, but he also painted many other subjects including landscapes, cityscapes and portraits. Below are 11 interesting facts about this masterful painter:

1. Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840.

You should know that Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840. He was born in Paris, France and his father was a painter. His mother also had some artistic talent and taught music lessons at home. Monet had four siblings: two brothers, who both became artists; and two sisters who died before he did.

Monet was an excellent student and went to college to study law but was drawn to art instead. At age 12 he began drawing landscapes with chalk on the streets of Paris with his father's help until he could afford oils for his palette. Three years later he sold his first painting for fifty francs--about $4 today!

2. Monet had a difficult relationship with his mother.

Monet's mother was a very strict woman. She made him work in his father's shop selling paint and also did not support his artistic ambitions, which led to difficulties in their relationship.

Claude Monet married Camille Doncieux on May 9th 1867, but this caused more problems for him with his mother as she felt that it was unsuitable for her son to marry a woman who had already been married before (Camille's first husband had died).

3. Monet experienced serious vision problems later in life.

Monet was diagnosed with cataracts in 1923. His eyesight started to deteriorate around the age of 50, but he was able to paint until his death in 1926. The two operations he underwent did not restore his vision, as they were performed on both eyes at once and did not include any type of lens replacement. Despite this, Monet continued to paint with almost no sight in his right eye and very limited vision in his left eye.

4. He began his artistic career painting caricatures.

You may be surprised to learn that, in his early years, Monet was a caricaturist. He started making sketches when he was just 14 years old and grew to become quite skilled at the art of caricature. In fact, he would often draw caricatures of his teachers and classmates with charcoal and chalk before adding wigs and costumes to make them more interesting! In addition to drawing simple faces, Monet also liked to add props such as top hats or bowler hats.

5. He was part of the first French Impressionist exhibition in 1874.

It's no secret that Claude Monet was a major figure in the impressionist movement, and here's another fact: he was also part of the first impressionist exhibition in 1874. It was held at a gallery called La Pavillon de l'art indigène, which translates to "The Pavilion of Indigenous Art." The show featured works by Monet alongside those of other famous impressionists like Pierre Auguste Renoir and Édouard Manet.

The impressionist movement originated in France during the mid-19th century as artists sought new ways to capture their experiences with color, light and texture on canvas. Their paintings broke away from traditional art forms by emphasizing these qualities over realism—which means they used brush strokes or other painterly techniques rather than photo-realistic detail to create their images.

6. His wife and muse died while they were still married.

Claude Monet's wife and muse, Alice, died in 1926. Their marriage was unconventional in several ways—not least of which because Monet was already married to his second wife when he met Alice.

He married Alice Lefevre in 1892 at a time when his work was beginning to not be well received by critics or the public. She helped him find new inspiration, and her features are often seen in many of his paintings including the 'Water Lilies' series that he created after she died.

7. The painter was close friends with Renoir, Cezanne and Pissarro.

Claude Monet was a member of the French Impressionist movement. He was close friends with other famous members of this artistic movement, including Renoir, Cezanne and Pissarro. He also had a close relationship with Degas as well as Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec.

8. He created more than 250 oil paintings of water lilies.

When you think of Monet, the first thing that comes to mind is probably his use of color. And if you look at his paintings, this impression is confirmed: his works are often saturated with color and light. But it's no secret that Monet was also drawn to other subjects as well—and one of those subjects was water lilies.

In fact, he created more than 250 oil paintings of them throughout his career—and this does not include water lily sketches! He painted them in a variety of styles: some were done from life in Giverny (his home), others were done from memory (including some studies done on site). He also painted them using a variety of sizes and media (such as canvas or paper) at different times during his life when he wanted something new and exciting to work on; while these may seem like simple choices on the surface level but there was actually much thought put into each decision made by him which reflects how careful Claude Monet was with every aspect related towards art production process including materials used such as paint pigments used materials needed for creation process etcetera so please keep reading below section titled "Materials used"

9. Monet moved to Giverny in 1883, where he would live for the rest of his life.

The town of Giverny is famous for its gardens and water lilies. It's located in the Île-de-France region of northern France, not far from Paris. Monet bought a house there because he wanted to live close to nature, especially the flowers that inspired his paintings. He was also inspired by the light in Giverny and found it particularly beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

10. The painter’s house has been turned into a museum that attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year.

Claude Monet's house in Giverny, France is open to the public every year.

The painter’s house has been turned into a museum that attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris.

In 1923, Monet's wife Alice began opening the home to visitors for one month every year with the hope of generating funds that would help support her husband's art career. The house became such an important landmark that it was eventually turned into a museum by their son Michel and opened full-time starting in 1954. It has since become one of France’s most famous sites for tourists who want to learn more about this world-renowned artist

11. Claude Monet is one of the most well-known artists of all time

The name Claude Monet is likely familiar to many of you. He is one of the most well-known artists of all time, and his paintings are displayed in the world's most prestigious galleries.

You may not know this, but he was also a French impressionist painter who painted many beautiful landscapes and water lilies.

He made his first oil painting in 1859 when he was 19 years old, and from then until his death on November 6th 1926 (which happened to be on Veterans Day), he created over 2000 paintings! This makes him one of the most prolific artists ever recorded.

Conclusion

Claude Monet is one of the most well-known artists of all time. He is known for his paintings of water lilies, which are one of the most recognizable symbols of Impressionism. His work has inspired many artists through the years, including Van Gogh and Picasso. If you want to learn more about him or his work I would highly recommend visiting Giverny in France where he lived and worked for most of his life!