Claude Monet was a French painter and a founder of French Impressionist painting. He was one of the most consistent and creative practitioners who expressed one's perception of nature through en plein-air painting.
Monet was born on November 14, 1840, on the fifth floor of 45 rue Laffitte, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Although he was baptized as Catholic he, later on became an atheist. Even though he was baptized as Oscar Claude, his mother would simply call him Oscar. His family did move to Le Havre in Normandy by 1845. His father wanted him to go into the family grocery store business, but he wanted to become an artist. His mother did support his desire to become a painter.
In April 1851, he did join the Le Havre secondary school of arts. His charcoal caricatures were well known to the locals as he would sell them for ten to twenty francs. He took his first drawing lessons from Jacques Francois Orchard. On the beaches of Normandy, he met fellow artist Eugene Boudin in 1857. Boudin did become his mentor and taught him to use oil painting. He was the one who taught him "en plein-air" techniques for painting.
When Monet traveled to Paris to visit The Louvre, he noticed that painters would often copy from the old masters. He brought all the paint and the materials with him and would go and sit by the window. He would often draw what he saw. He was in Paris was several years and did meet several painters who eventually became his friends.
He joined the First Regiment of African Light Cavalry in Algeria, which was a seven-year commitment. But when he suffered from typhoid, his aunt intervened to get him out of the army only if he completes an art course at a university. In 1862 he did become a student of Charles Gray in Paris. At this university, he did meet Pierre Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille, and Alfred Sisley. Together they shared new approaches to art, painting the effects of en plain air painting.
He was exceptionally fond of painting controlled nature. After the death of his wife, he and his family had rented a house in Giverny. In his garden, he would often paint nature with its water lilies, pond, and bridge. He, too, painted up and down the banks of Seine. Between 1883 and 1885, he traveled to the Mediterranean, where he painted landmarks, landscapes, and even seascapes.
During World War 1, he did paint a series of Weeping Willow trees as an homage to the French fallen soldiers. Due to the surgery he underwent for cataract, the paintings had a reddish tone. After his operation, he repainted some of his paintings with bluer water lilies.
Monet died of lung cancer on December 5, 1926, at the age of 86 and is buried at the Giverny church cemetery. He wanted that the occasion should be simple and so only fifty people attended it.
Now let us look into some of the famous Claude Monet Quotes, which are as beautiful as his paintings.
The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.
Pleasure is a feeling of joy, satisfaction, and enjoyment. It is the activity of enjoying yourself while doing the work by not considering it as a duty you have to do.
Monet says that the righteous delight is in the joy of understanding. Understanding is the process of perceiving the things which is either heard or seen. It is mainly to interpret or view something in a particular way.
When you start understanding things in a better way, you find it easier to work on them. It makes the task to be completed within a time. If you understand what the other person says, it makes the situations easy rather than making it more complicated.
Thus, try to understand things before assuming them in your way.
To see we must forget the name of the object we are looking at.
Monet was one of the greatest painters of the nineteenth century. He believed in observing nature and painting it. Rather than copying it from somewhere, he always stayed outdoors and painted them, which made his paintings unique.
This quote says that when we observe certain things, we must be so engrossed. Our concentration should make us forget the name of the object we are looking at. No matter how big the object is, you should be captivated by its charm.
The beauty of the object should make you forget what it is. You should be bewitched in a way that you should forget everything. Only if you fail to remember the name of the thing you are looking at it.
No one is an artist until he carries his picture in his head before painting it, and is sure of his method and composition.
An artist is a person who creates paintings and drawings as his hobby or his profession. He is a person who has skills and uses his creativity and imagination to create paintings which will surely be a beautiful sight to watch at.
Monet says that a person is not an artist until he memorizes his picture in his head even before painting it. He will be sure of the methods that he needs to use and the composition of colors in detail. Even before painting his sketch, he is sure of how the painting will look like.
If an artist has never visualized his picture, then he is not the one for sure, as after drawing portraits, the confidence to canvas their face will surely strike their mind at least once. And if the idea has occurred in your thought, then you are an artist.
It is better to have done something than to have been someone.
Human beings always want to lead a successful life. And for that, they want to become famous- a person who is well known in society. The desire to be familiar is what everyone wishes for.
This quote says that rather than to be known as someone famous, it is better to have done a good deed to someone. It can be any small change you bring to society. Start making changes that can lay as a foundation for many other people.
Be an inspiration for others. And it is okay if you do not be known for it as those deeds will one day save you.
One can do something if one can see and understand it.
This quote is something that you have to remember before you start doing a thing. He makes us understand the basic thing which we must prepare before beginning.
Monet says that you can only do a thing when you see and understand it. When you look at the thing, you begin to know what it is. Slowly try to learn what the thing is all about. And when you learn, start with the basics as it will help you more.
When you learn and understand the thing fully, you are prepared to do start bouncing on it. So, to do a thing, first observe and then understand it to its core; then create magic.
Everything changes even stone.
It is the process of making something different or becoming different. It is also the modification or the improvement that you make.
This quote says that everything in this world changes. Right from the seasons to humans, everything changes according to time. Time is something that never waits for anyone. It keeps on moving, and each thing around it gets affected.
The stone, which is a non-living thing, too changes. There is a change in the stone due to the change of seasons. After a while, it too starts decomposing. So, it says that change is evident and relevant over time.
Therefore, when you find changes within, you start embracing them.
Continue reading some more Quotes by Claude Monet...
Color is my daylong obsession, joy, and torment.
Monet loved painting more than his life. He used to sketch directly by using colors and brush in his hand. It was his unique style of painting that did bring a revolution in the world of painting.
Monet says that color is something he can do all day. It is something that his passion which he can do the whole. When you are obsessed over a thing, you try to make it perfect no matter how much time and effort are wasted on it.
Coloring is the thing where he finds joy and is also the thing he does when in pain. He makes it a point to associate coloring with all his emotions. No matter how he feels, he can always keep on doing it as it is what he loves.
The more I live, the more I regret how little I know.
It is a feeling of sorrow or remorse you feel when you are at fault. It is also an act to express loss and disappointment towards others.
This quote says that the more Monet lives his life, he grieves at how less he knows about things. As there are many things around you and in this short life, you cannot learn it all. The more you grow as a person, there will surely be a lot of things that you don't know.
People only learn things that they want to learn. A single person cannot know everything. So, it is okay if you miss quite a few things but try to learn them whenever you really can.
Therefore, do not consider yourself as clever, as there will always be new things for you to learn.
It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common and moral courage is so rare.
Courage is the ability to do something even if it scares you. It is the strength that you need to have to withstand all the difficulties in your life. It is to stand up against all the odds without flinching.
Monet says that it is a disaster that we live in a world where physical courage has become so ordinary that people have often forgotten moral courage. Moral courage has become so uncommon that it is rarely seen.
The difference between physical and moral courage is just a line that you need to cross. Physical courage is termed as bravery in the look of death, threat, pain, or any hardship that you face in life. Moral courage is the ability to act when you face personal loss, shame, or any scandal. We never encourage people to have moral courage as it is tough.
Thus, try to have moral courage within you as it is needed to emerge stronger than ever.
Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand as if it were necessary to understand when it is simply necessary to love.
Art is an expression of a person's imagination along with his creativity in the visual form of such as painting or sculpture. It is the creation that can design a simple piece into something magnificent.
In this quote, Monet makes us understand that art is something that you have to love. It is something that forms out of creativity. And any creative thing needs to be loved by you. You do not have to understand it as it is something that comes within you, and anything from your thought is complicated.
Thus, enjoy art and start loving it when you can.
I'm never finished with my paintings; the further I get, the more I seek the impossible and the more powerless I feel.
This quote is mainly what he feels when he paints. As painting is the only thing that he likes the most. It is his craziness for which he can do anything.
Monet says that he is never able to finish a painting of his. The further he starts doing, the task starts to become unthinkable. The more he strives to finish his work, the more powerless he feels. When he thinks that he can create a stroke, he feels confused as he does not understand how to end it.
Painting is a form of art where you use your imagination with the perfect mixture of creativity in it. The most important thing is to maintain the balance so that it does not become something complex. The composition is something that is to be looked at.
Thus, the more he paints, the more clueless he feels in his life.
It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.
Observation is the act of noticing or perceiving a thing or is an instance of watching something attentively. It is to look at something which much concentration and to be in a daze.
Reflection is the serious thought of consideration. It also means to think about a situation in a calm and relaxing way. It can also be termed as to provide an opinion on something after much thought process. It is to think about something that too deeply.
This quote says that through the power of monitoring and consideration, one can find a path to lead your life. In your journey called life, the path is what plays an important role to determine success. So, we always need to observe and understand what is good for us. And when we do something incorrectly, we should immediately start reflecting.
Therefore, dig deeper and explore until to find your path.
Few more Claude Monet Quotes...
I am following Nature without being able to grasp her; I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.
Monet was a person who did not follow the tradition of copying the arts of their master when he was in Paris. He was someone who loved to paint outdoors by sitting in his garden. He mainly enjoyed painting when he can control nature in his painting.
Monet says that he always loves to travel around the world to paint. He loved to show the different effects the season and days can be depicted in his painting. His way of painting is what made him follow nature as he observes and then paints it.
He says that it is impossible to grasp nature as it is vast and something that cannot be controlled. He feels that he is in debt with nature to become a painter as all the flowers are difficult to be captured in his paintings.
As all his paintings are about all those beautiful things in nature, out of which flower, the most gentle thing is quite refreshing. And depicting its calmness in a painting is quite a task.
No one but myself knows the anxiety I go through and the trouble I give myself to finish paintings that do not satisfy me and seem to please so very few others.
Painting is an art where a painter often uses his creativity and imagination to create something that can stay alive for a long period. It is something where you use paint, brush, and the tools to build something mesmerizing.
In this quote, Monet says that he puts immense pressure on him to finish a painting. He goes through lots of troubles and concerns to finish his paintings. No matter how hard he tries to complete his work, he still feels it as something incomplete.
All his paintings do not seem to make him happy nor please others. He feels that his painting only pleases quite a few. Thus, he does not feel at ease when he finishes his painting.
Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything; my head is bursting with it.
This quote shows his passion for painting. It shows the zeal and excitement he has for coloring. The way he loves painting cannot be compared with anything else in his life. It was something that he enjoyed doing.
Monet says that every day he discovers new things in his life. All those things seem to be beautiful when he starts uncovering things. The more he sets out to come across admirable things more excited he feels about discovering them.
All those beautiful things captivate his thoughts. It makes him go crazy as he craves to do everything. He has a habit of painting everything he sees and that is what drives him mad. This enthralling beauty stays in his mind which eventually spins his head.
As he always believed in painting, what he observed drove him crazy, and this is how much of all a crazy soul he was.
I have always worked better alone and from my impressions.
Monet is a person who loved working on paintings. He mostly loved to observe and paint nature. He is the person who made nature his inspiration.
This quote says that Monet always loved to work alone. He did enjoy the company of his friends. But he believed that working alone gives him a better chance to look at nature as it motivated him to sketch more and more.
He loved to work on his paintings in solitude. He relished working alone as it allowed him to have a better glance at nature. He never believed in copying; instead, he loved to work from his rendition as he wanted to portray his versions of the art.
It is extraordinary to see the sea; what a spectacle! She is so unfettered that one wonders whether it is possible that she again become calm.
This quote is something that shows how vast the sea. It is something where waves move with the sea. The rhythm of the water is music to your ears.
Monet says that it is quite a sensation to look at the sea. The show sea puts before is quite a presentation. It is something that you need to look out for. She is someone who cannot be controlled. You cannot get a hold of the sea even if you try to.
When you look at the sea, the display it shows leaves you surprised. It is free that you often feel if it is possible to become serene. Sea makes you feel calm and nervous at the same time. A moment of bliss is what you can experience when at sea.
I despise the opinion of the press and the so-called critics.
Monet's way of painting is quite a unique one which created quite a revolution. His technique is what inspired millions of people and opened new doors in the world of painting.
In this quote, Monet says that he loathed the press and the critics. They are mainly people who were never pleased with his paintings. The critics and public never understood the concept of Impressionists. They believed that impressionists could not draw, and also, their colors were mainly termed as vulgar.
The artist involved in this movement often depicted light and color at the center, creating a new vision. Even though he did get recognition among his contemporaries press and critics were harsh.
But slowly, as it became more accepted, the harsh voices started to turn into praise.
For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere that gives subjects their true value.
The landscape is the visible feature of an area's land, its landforms, and how it fuses with natural and other man-made changes. It can be farmland, a park, or anything that includes either flora or fauna.
Monet says that for him countryside does not exist in its own right. It is something that keeps on changing each moment. Every time some or the other thing changes. But the area sounding it is what keeps it alive.
The light and the air in the surrounding keeps on modifying, bringing life to the landscape. For him, the main subject is the area surrounding it, as it is what increases the value.
Therefore, he believed the atmosphere is what gives the subject its true worth.
I have never had a studio, and I do not understand shutting oneself up in a room. To draw, yes; to paint, no.
A studio is a room where an artist, painter, or sculpture works. it can also be termed as a place where art is learned at.
In this quote, Monet says that he never had a studio in his life. He never understood the logic of sealing yourself in a room. He believed that to draw maybe a studio can be necessary but to sketch, there is no need.
He loved to observe things and understand them. And then he starts to paint them. His way of painting is unique where he painted the things he observed, and for that, he had rented a house after his wife's death.
He used to often sit in the garden and would create sketches. He called his garden the masterpiece as he would sit for a long time and then start painting. The calmness and tranquility you get in the outdoors is something that can never be obtained in a studio which is why he never had one.
Remember, strength is always looking back and seeing what all you have been through and knowing that you were strong enough to make it through. So, never underestimate yourself.
