Claude Monet was an Impressionist artist. He
characterized his paintings with concentration, the use of
unmixed primary colors and small brush strokes to
increase reflected light. Monet did not use the traditional
chiaroscuro method, which creates a three-dimensional
effect using shadow and light. Instead he used
continuous blocks of color in unexpected ways to create
lively, but flat landscapes. Monet avoided distinctive
lines in his paintings. He used dots and patches of
color to create objects. Monet is also well-known for
repeating paintings. He would repeat a painting at a
different time of day, reflecting the changes in color and
light. He changed the way people thought about
painting. He was one of the first artists to paint about
something simple in everyday life instead of painting
about historical or important events.
