It became clear from a young age that Monet had a gift, and would inevitably pursue an art career. Although he loved art and showed a great aptitude for it, he was bored by the formalities of the academic art training.
Between the years 1858 and 1860, Monet studied art at the acclaimed Académie Suisse in Paris. It was here that he met many other soon-to-be-famous artists such as Camille Pissarro and Paul Cézanne.
In 1874, frustrated with their constant rejection from the Paris Salon, a group of artists rganized their own exhibition. It was here that name "Impressionism" was born, thanks to Monet's Impression, Sunrise (1872).
Monet moved to Giverny in 1883. He rented a house, the garden of which would inspire many of his paintings for the next 40 years. Monet became obsessed with turning the garden into a paradise in which he could paint.
Monet’s Water Lilies series was started in 1914, during the beginning of the First World War. Monet was fighting his own battle at home during this time, as his first son Jean passed away in the same year.
Although this is one of the most revered exhibitions in the world today, upon its opening the Water Lilies series did not receive much attention from the public.
In 1913, Monet went on a trip to London to see an ophthalmologist about his sight. It was determined that he had cataracts and that his sight would continue to diminish unless he had surgery.
In his eight-paneled Water Lilies series, one can see the strong command over color that he possessed. The series shows a progression of time, and thus various lighting such as in Water Lilies – Morning (1926) and TheWater Lilies – Setting Sun (1926).
The first paintings he completed of water lilies often contain the bank of the pond or his famous Japanese-style bridge in order to give space and perspective.
Monet wished to portray an endless loop of time, progressing from morning to sunset. The two rooms where the works were displayed were constructed in such a way, as per Monet’s wishes, that they form an infinity sign.