MONET, inei'ri'. CLAUDE ( 1840—). A French landscape painter, the leader of the Im pressionist School. lle was born in Paris. When a youth he entered the atelier of the Classicist Gleyre, but lack of sympathy with the style of work executed there caused his withdrawal. In the beginning his fancy was strongly drawn to the work of Corot, and certain mannerisms. which dis appeared with increasing years, indicate the influ ence of the Barbison School. lle, however, ad mitted no master, and for the most part drew his inspiration directly from nature, apparently ear ing little for subject, detail, or composition. His aim is chiefly to reproduce the effects of light and air, to portray the fleeting aspect of things. To Monet the effects of complementary contrasts and color mixtures are so distinctive and certain, that to those not similarly trained his repre sentation of them appears alfected and exag gerated, but when seen under subdued light and from the requisite point of distance, they show great excellence. Ills earlier style may be stud
ied in "The Mouth of the Seine at Honfleur" (1865) ; "Camille;" "Fontainebleau Forest" (1866) : "Vessels Leaving Havre" (1868), and many landscapes produced before 1875. Among his later works may be mentioned: "Bordighera" —the town in the half distance, led up to by a foliaged foreg,round; "The Orchard"—a land scape, vibrating with light and showing welt the possibilities of Monet', use of pure color; "On Cape Martin. Near lentone;" "Studies of Rouen and its Cathedral:" "Low Tide at ville;" "Snow at Port Villers;" "Church of Verna ;" "Church of Varangeville." Consult: Duret, Le peintre Claude ]Ion,-] (Paris, 1878) ; Van Dyke, Modern French .Plaster's (New York. 1896).