
Claude Monet was a French painter and one of the founders of Impressionism. He was born in 1840 in Paris but grew up in Le Havre. From a young age he showed a strong interest in drawing and painting. Monet became famous for painting landscapes and outdoor scenes, often working directly in nature. Impressionist painters tried to capture the changing effects of light, atmosphere, and color rather than focusing on precise details. Monet used quick brushstrokes and bright colors to create lively impressions of a moment. One of his most famous paintings is Impression, Sunrise, which gave the Impressionist movement its name. Later in his life he created his well-known series of Water Lilies, inspired by the garden he designed at his home in Giverny. Claude Monet spent many years painting the same subjects—such as haystacks, cathedrals, and water lilies—at different times of day to study the effects of light. Today he is considered one of the most important painters in the history of modern art.