Traditional artistic expression was forever altered by Impressionist Movement forerunners including the master painter Claude Monet (1840 – 1925). In order to portray the continually shifting effects of light and color, the Paris-born Monet only painted outdoors, often painting the same subject at different times of day. Influenced by the artistry of Japanese floral screens, his richly colored “Irises” portrays the flowers in his Giverny garden.
Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) 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.