Monet was always in love with the light. As a young boy, he would draw cartoons that were prized by friends and relatives, and had an undeniable talent for drawing and painting. At the time, professional artists painted in their studios, and their portraits and paintings were staid affairs. Monet was interesting in drawing the light, the way the light played on the objects and textures he could observe. Learning from Bourdin, an artist who painted outside, Monet fell in love with the technique and never looked back.
His personal life was fraught with ups and downs. He was frowned upon for the strangeness of his paintings, and was derided as the leader of the Impressionists, a title he eventually adopted. He married the love of his life, but then had an affair. He was often penniless, and though he was always painting he was not finding commercial success. Eventually more progressive ideas about art caught up with Monet's paintings and he finally earned recognition and financial rewards, enough to be able to buy a farm where he would spend the rest of his life painting.
A complex man driven by the simple desire of faithfully drawing the light, Monet remains one of the most inspired and inspirational artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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