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 group of young artists in 1874, in opposition to the established authority of the Salon and the Academy, decided to show their work directly to the public in an exhibition which they organized themselves. The artists forming the core of this group- Pissarro, Degas, Sisley, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir, and Morisot- came to be known as "the Impressionists". Seen to be following the independent spirit of Manet, they were immediately identified as the avant-garde...

The Impressionists -- Monet, Manet, Degas, Pissaro, Cassatt, Renoir, Morisot, Cézanne, and others -- are probably the most popular of all artistic schools. Their struggle to impose a new vision is one of the most absorbing in the whole history of art. Art historian Bernard Denvir brings Impressionism into focus with imagination and insight, through the words of the artists themselves and their contemporaries, against the background of their time....

Examines the life and work of post-impressionist master Paul Gaugin, featuring expert commentary and location footage.