Claude Monet (1840-1926) French Impressionist Painter
Claude Monet is one of the best-known Impressionist painters today. His works can be found in many museums throughout the world. Impressionists often worked outdoors. Monet was consistent in the way he worked, however as he aged the brushstrokes became looser and colors were more vibrant due to failing eyesight. His habit was to gather many canvases and work for brief periods on the same canvas in the same location at the same time each day. When the light changed, he moved on to the next canvas and location. In this way, Monet felt he captured the true light in a moment of time. Monet consistently made portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and flower paintings. As his popularity grew, he was able to rent and eventually purchase land at Giverny. The barn became his studio and he worked for the rest of his life on paintings of the area. He redirected water, planted gardens, built a Japanese bridge, and built a greenhouse and second studio with skylights. He eventually hired seven gardeners to keep up with his plans. At Giverny, he painted the water lilies series that he is famous for. The house at Giverny is open to the public today and hosts tourists from all over the world.
Search outdoors for a scene where objects overlap. Use charcoal to draw the scene. As you redraw lines, you can wipe out the charcoal lines with a soft chamois* cloth ( about 5x5 in.) rather than use the kneaded eraser. It will pick up some of the charcoal but not all of it so that you still see the lines only lighter. Draw back over the lines until your drawing is as you want it. You will notice that as you wipe out more lines a soft layer of charcoal builds up. These areas can be quite attractive. Many artists draw and redraw when using charcoal just to create the gray tone.
This student work is by Alison Wager. The items on the deck overlap the fence. Shrubs overlap trees. Furniture overlaps other furniture. Alison did a great job finding objects that overlap in an outdoor scene.
*A chamois can be purchased at auto parts stores or art supply stores.
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