Claude Monet

Claude Monet, in full Oscar-Claude Monet was born November 14, 1840 in Paris France. He was a French painter who was the initiator, leader, and unswerving advocate of the impressionist style.  In his mature works, Monet developed his method of producing repeated studies of the same motif in series, changing canvases with the light or as his interest shifted. These series were frequently exhibited in groups—for example, his images of haystacks (1891) and the Rouen Cathedral (1894). At his home in Giverny, Monet created the water-lily pond that served as inspiration for his last series of paintings. His popularity soared in the second half of the 20th century, when his works travelled the world in museum exhibitions that attracted record-breaking crowds and marketed popular commercial items featuring imagery from his art.