Post 1914 Claude Monet

By 1914 he was seventy four years of age,but he was yet to have his most fulfilling periods of painting. The most famous paintings following this time were his "Decoration" series.They were paintings of his water garden and the most well known were of waterlilies. This was the culmination of his long journey as a painter.He was encouraged to do these paintings by Georges Clementeau, a well known polititian and a close friend who sustained his later career as a painter.

His journey as an artist began in the late 1950s,when he was nearly twenty. He was discovered by Eugene Bodin who encouraged him to paint outdoors with him. Bodin believed that "Everything that is painted directly and on the spot always has a force or power, or vivacity of touch that is not to be found in studio work". Monet found this type of painting more exciting than traditional academic studio work and this preference lasted throughout his life. In a letter written to Gustave Gaffroy in 1920 he expresses his gratitude and appreciation of Bodin as the main mentor of his career.He briefley studied academic figure painting in art school due to pressure from his parents.These paintings were accepted by the traditional salon but Monets intrests lay elswhere. His main influences came from painters who did not work in the traditional academic chiaroscuro style notably the Dutch painter,Johan Barthold Jongkind.