Claude Monet (1840 – 1952) pioneered Impressionism, profoundly influencing landscape painting. From Paris, Monet met the nucleus of his Impressionist group while attending the studio of Glenyre. Making a break from established painting techniques, Monet captured the fleeting effects of time of day, atmosphere and season upon color and light. Like a prism, his artwork broke color into individual elements, and completely lacked black and gray tones. Monet often painted the exact same view numerous times to depict changing light and weather conditions. Refining the portrayal of natural light’s transient effects, his work broke ground for 20th century modernism.