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Claude Monet is one of art’s most important and influential figures and the leader of the Impressionist movement. Born in Paris in 1840, Monet was a rebel from an early age, preferring to spend his time outside, sketching nature, rather than being confined to a classroom. He later enrolled at the famed art school, Academie Suisse, where he began to explore his craft of painting landscapes. In Paris, Monet befriended several like-minded artists, including Pisarro and Renoir, who became a part of the Impressionist movement, which was a type of painting that stressed light, movement and emotion over realism.

Monet’s style used complex short brush strokes and dots of contrasting color that, when viewed up close, looked chaotic. When viewed far away, however, the large scale painting looked like a beautiful soft-focus image. His most famous works include “Water Lilies” and “Sunflowers.” Many critics wondered how Monet’s eyesight – severely compromised by severe cataracts – had impacted his work and style. Monet died in 1926. His paintings, most worth millions each, hang in prestigious museums throughout the world, including Paris’ Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.