Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist art movement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars. While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized and he struggled financially. With over one hundred black-and-white illustrations, this book unveils a true portrait of the artist!

"A groundbreaking look at the life and art of one of the most influential and modern painters of the late nineteenth century and founder of the Impressionist movement. Drawing on thousands of never-before translated letters and unpublished sources, this new biography reveals dramatic new information about the life and work of one of the late 19th century's most important painters. Despite being mocked at the beginning of his career, and living hand...

Extensive portrait of the artist written by a woman who lived with him for 11 years and was the mother of two of his children.

A richly told biography of Suzanne Valadon, the illegitimate daughter of a provincial linen maid who became famous as a model for the Impressionists and later as a painter in her own right. Catherine Hewitt tells the remarkable tale of an ambitious, headstrong woman fighting to find a professional voice in a male-dominated world.

Painter and sculptor Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899) led a highly nontraditional life, especially for a woman in the nineteenth century. She kept lions as pets, was awarded the Legion of Honor by Empress Eugénie, and befriended "Buffalo Bill" Cody. She became a painter at a time when women were often only reluctantly educated as artists. Her unconventional artistic work habits, including visiting slaughterhouses to sketch an animals anatomy and wearing...

"From the acclaimed biographer and author of Monsieur Proust's Library, an engaging new work on the life of "the father of Impressionism" and the role his Jewish background played in his artistic creativity. The celebrated painter Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) occupied a central place in the artistic scene of his time: a founding member of the new school of French painting, he was a close friend of Monet, a longtime associate in Degas's and Mary Cassatt's...

An assessment of the life and work of Paul Cézanne offers insight into his views about an artist's role and his self-doubt about his own capabilities, demonstrating how his beliefs revolutionized the ways subsequent artists would see and depict the world.

Édouard Manet is one of the world's best-known artists, but he almost wasn't an artist at all. His father tried to persuade him practice law or join the navy, but Manet wanted to paint. His depictions of modern life, such as café scenes, people going to the opera, and watching horse races, bridged the gap between realism and Impressionism. Readers follow Manet's career from his early life in Paris to the height of his fame. As they read, they learn...

Provides an overview of the life, works, and legacy of French artist Claude Monet.

"Introduces Claude Monet as one of the greatest Impressionist artists by exploring the techniques he used to create such masterpieces as Impression, Sunrise and his many studies of light, color, and shadow--