Claude Monet artwork
Claude Monet (1840–1926) was one of the foremost artists of Impressionism. Monet was born in Paris and moved to Le Havre with his family at the age of five. In his early twenties he completed his military service in Algeria. This was probably where and when he was inspired to create landscape paintings. Monet paintings are famous the world over and are on display in many places. One such place is the Kröller-Müller Museum. Will you come and admire our Claude Monet artworks?
Monet: the leading figure of Impressionism
The impressionist artists seek to capture the fleeting moments of the day with paint on canvas. To do so, they concentrate on the effects of light, colour and movement. The paint is usually applied with a loose, quick brushstroke. This leads to more abstract and less detailed works.
The invention of zinc paint tubes brought about a significant development in painting. These tubes prevented the paint from drying out quickly and made the paint easy to carry. A major advantage for the impressionists. They were able to leave their studios, take their painting materials with them and work ‘en plein air’. Monet also painted outdoors: ‘I paint directly after nature, whereby I attempt to depict my impressions of the most fleeting effects’.
Claude Monet paintings at the Kröller-Müller Museum
Monet paintings are on display all over the world. His works can also be seen at the Kröller-Müller, such as Le bateau-atelier (Monet's Studio-Boat) from 1874. This Claude Monet artwork tells the story of the period when he lived in Argenteuil, a village on the Seine, just outside Paris. He had a boat built in which he could paint the surroundings from the water. This boat gave him a lot of (artistic) freedom. After all, it allowed him to paint the effects of light on the water and the landscape from any spot.
Another Claude Monet artwork we would like to highlight is the Portrait of Miss Guurtje van de Stadt from 1871. Monet painted it during his stay in Zaandam. In the four months of Monet’s Netherlands visit, he painted no fewer than 24 Zaandam townscapes and landscapes. As well as this portrait of 17-year-old Guurtje van de Stadt. She was a member of one of Zaandam's wealthier families. What is striking about this Claude Monet artwork is that the colours are rather subdued – especially in relation to the other Monet Holland works. This may be because Guurtje was mourning her recently deceased father.