MONET

Monet, famous artists, kids art, art appreciation, impressionism

1840-1926

This was the first artist study that we did, so I kept it really simple! I picked a few prints from calendars and laminated them, then laid them out and let each child choose their favourite three. His pictures were displayed on our family room wall for a good few months, and my children loved telling our visitors why they had picked the three paintings that they had each chosen to put up on their bit of "gallery space".

He was a founder of French Impressionist painting, in fact, the name Impressionism is derived from his painting Impression, sunrise!

Monet, famous artists, kids art, art appreciation, impressionism

We enjoyed getting out into nature and taking a closer look at the reflections of nature in ponds and lakes. It is still something we notice actually, wherever we are.

Monet, famous artists, kids art, art appreciation, impressionism

He loved to paint outdoors, and so we spent a few afternoons on a picnic blanket, painting things we saw outdoors, clouds, flowers and ponds.

We talked about impressionism and how when you stand close to a painting, it looks like large blotches of paint, but when you step back, the painting becomes a pond covered in water lilies.

Linnea in Monet's Garden is a book we really enjoy about the artist, his paintings and the delight that a young girl finds in learning about him. Linnea and her elderly friend Mr. Bloom travel to Paris, visit the artist's home in Giverny, picnic in the his garden, and admire the waterlilies and the Japanese bridge which he often painted. He loved painting flowers and the outdoors so much that he created and mainained this beautiful garden splashed with bright colours! A lovely introduction for young ones.

He was fascinated by water and the changing colours of things in different intensities of light and tried to capture them on canvas. In fact, he did 25 paintings of haystacks, working quickly as his future step-daughter Blanche, would quickly change canvases as he tried to captivate the rapidly changing light. That could make for a fun afternoon activity!

Monet, kids art, art appreciation, impressionism, haystacks

This is my daughter's interpretation of one of her favouite paintings, she was 3 at the time.

Monet, famous artists, kids art, art appreciation, impressionism

Monet, famous artists, kids art, art appreciation, impressionism

He met an artist called Eugene Boudin when they were both displaying their work in a local picture framer's shop. He encouraged Monet to paint outdoors, at a time when most artists were painting landscapes in the studio.

One day Boudin said to me, "Learn to draw well and appreciate the sea, the light, the blue sky." I took his advice.

He certainly did!

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Our Favourite Resources

42522X: Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies
By Steven Packard / Grosset & Dunlap
422766: Getting to Know the World"s Greatest Artists: Monet Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Monet
By Grolier Publishing Company
072140: My Sticker Art Gallery: Monet My Sticker Art Gallery: Monet
By Carole Armstrong / Frances Lincoln Children's Books

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