Impressions of Claude Monet

Inviting meadows, serene ponds and idle women relaxing in reverie are all images that were caught by the deft hand and delicate impressions from one of France's most renowned painters, Claude Monet. Born in Paris, France on November 14, 1840, Monet was destined to become a Master Painter. By the age of five, his family moved to Le Havre, where he began to show interest in the arts. While his father encouraged the young Monet to go into business, his mother supported his artistic endeavors, so by the time he entered secondary school he was already well versed in drawing caricatures of his fellow students and teachers. With lessons in drawing, from Jacques-Françoise Ochard, his skills further developed, setting him firmly on the path of the life of an artist.

The Rock Needle
And The Porte D Aval 

Always preferring to be outdoors, when the young artist met Eugène Boudin in 1856/7 it proved to be providential. Boudin encouraged Monet to paint outdoors or "en plein air", and this style of painting stayed with him throughout his life. Boudin also introduced the use of oils into Monet's repertoire and soon landscapes began to appear in his paintings as well. While the death of his mother devastated the young Monet in 1857, it also propelled him forward in his career. Shortly thereafter, he moved back to Paris and met the likes of Édouard Manet and Camille Pissarro, both of which were to become friends and influencers of his art.

Impression Sunrise

Between 1861-2, Monet joined the military and served in Algiers. Due to poor health, he was discharged from service and returned to Paris, where he began studying under Charles Gleyre. It was during this time that he met Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frederic Bazille, fellow painters that would prove to bring a new style of painting to the art world. With rapid brush strokes and a focus on lighting, which could often only be achieved by painting outdoors, these influential artists were to become the founders of the Impressionistic movement.

Camille aka
The Woman in a Green Dress

Long before the world hailed Monet as a Master Artist, he faced many struggles. While he gained a measure of fame when he had a few pieces selected by the Salons in Paris, a lack of financial stability and depression threatened to erase this budding artist. In 1870, he married Camille Doncieux, who had been a long-time model for many of his portraits. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war forced the newlyweds to flee to England, then the Netherlands, before returning to France in 1871. While his connections in the Impressionist movement grew, the health of his wife failed, and in 1879, Camille died of tuberculosis.

Water Lilies - 1905

Monet was devastated by his wife's death, and vowed to never again live in poverty. He threw himself into his work, entering the most productive phase of his life. He continued to paint en pein air and created magnificent landscapes and still lifes of everything from haystacks to water lilies, some of which today are now worth into the millions of dollars. He made Vétheuil home for a number of years, until he discovered Giverny. It was in Giverny where he finally bought himself a property that allowed him the luxury of painting to his heart's content in his very own gardens long into his years. Despite failing health and vision, this prolific artist painted up to his death on December 5, 1926.

On Saturday April 14, at the London Farmer's Market, you too can be swept away by the light of this Impressionist painter. Claude Monet will be the featured Master Artist in the first session of Budding Artists third Master Series Art Workshops for children. Register your child now for either the 10:30 am or 1pm workshop and expect them to have fun exploring art history, games and of course artistry, as they create their own masterpiece to take home with them. See you then!

Spotlight on Piet Mondrian

Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan was born on March 7th, 1872 in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. The son of a Headmaster of a primary school, as well as an acclaimed drawing teacher, it was no wonder that little Piet became interested in the arts at an early age. The first exhibition of his work was in 1890 and by 1892 he was enrolled at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. While his artwork at this point was indicative of the times, representing impressionistic landscapes, mostly of windmills, rivers and fields, there was an inkling of some of the changes to come.

Windmill in Sunlight - 1908

These changes would become a regular occurrence throughout Mondriaan's lifetime. The naturalistic style that he originally developed while at school, soon morphed into a brighter palette more akin to Fauvism, with definite nods to pointillism. In 1908, Mondriaan embraced the Theosophical movement, led by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, which in turn saw his paintings begin to lean more towards Cubism. By 1911, he moved to Paris, dropped an "a" from Mondriaan to become Mondrian and embraced the new Cubist artists Picasso and Georges Braque full-heartedly.

Grey Tree - 1912

Mondrian spent the next four years in Paris actively exploring Cubism in his art. While the process was a gradual one, geometric shapes and patterns emerged in his artwork and his colour palette became increasingly simple and abstract. In 1914, he returned to Amsterdam to visit his ailing father, but the outbreak of World War I forced him to remain in country for the remainder of the war. Paris's influence stayed with him though and his paintings became even more abstract, with the focus on lines and blocks of colours. Gone were any traces of the impressionism that he started with.

Composition A: 
Composition with Black, Red, Gray, Yellow & Blue - 1920

While Mondrian returned to Paris as soon as the war was over, an important milestone was marked during his stay in The Netherlands; that of founding De Stijl (The Style) with Theo van Doesburg. It was through the essays that he wrote for De Stijl that he shared his vision of a new style of art called neoplasticism. This new non-representational style that Mondrian developed is nowadays seen as the beginning of abstract art. Ultimately what it looked like was a white background with a dark grid set upon it and the addition of primary colour blocks to represent the beauty and awareness of nature from the artist's eye.

New York City II - 1942

When World War II broke out Mondrian left Paris for England. He spent two years there, before leaving for the United States, where another change in his artistic style took place. Where his grid lines had originally been gray and thin, gradually getting thicker and darker, with fewer colour blocks apparent, now the grid itself became the colour. While still exploring this vibrant turn in his neoplasticism, Mondrian fell ill and died on February 1st, 1944. The art and fresh look at what it could be left a huge mark on the world though, that is still felt today.

This weekend, Budding Artists will take an in depth look at Piet Mondrian in the Master Series children's art workshop at the London Farmer's Market. Join us on Saturday February 18th at 10am and 1pm for 90 minutes of art history, games, and creation in the style of this abstract painter. Register today!

Spotlight on Edvard Munch

Self Portrait 1881-1882

Edvard Munch was born on December 12, 1863 in Løten, Norway to Christian Munch and Laura Catherine Bjølstad. He was the second oldest, in a family of five children. Sadly, his mother died in 1868 from tuberculosis, followed not long after, from the same deadly disease, by his oldest sister in 1877. While his aunt took over in raising himself and his remaining siblings, these events coloured Munch's outlook on life for years to come.

Not a healthy young man in his own right, Munch spent much of his youth out of school, usually at home drawing to fill the hours. His father instructed him in history and literature, but art was his true passion from an early age. In 1879 he entered a technical school to study engineering, but a year later, much to his father's disappointment, he left to pursue a career as a painter. By 1881, he was enrolled at the Royal School of Art and Design and in 1883 he took part in his first public exhibition.

The Sick Child - 1886

Munch created many self-portraits throughout his life, but through associations with Christian Krohg and Hans Jaegger, his work slowly started to transform during his early formative years. Krohg was a Naturalist painter that influenced Munch during his time at the Royal School of Art and Design. Jaeger was a local nihilist and member of the 'Christiania's Bohemia', who urged Munch to delve into his emotions within his artwork. It was during this time that he worked on his soul diaries, and also when he created one of his first well known paintings 'The Sick Child'. This dark painting spoke of his sister's death, but also of the depressing mindset that he lingered under. He struggled with the concept of a soul in conflict with nature and his work reflected that at the time. As his skill grew, he found that the Impressionism that he had first utilized did not adequately express the angst that was in his soul and he moved towards a post-Impressionistic style.

The Scream - 1893

In 1889, Munch displayed a collection of his works at the Student Organization in Christiania. It was so well received that he earned himself a two-year scholarship to the Bonnat School of Art in Paris. There he was introduced to works from painters such as Gauguin, Van Gogh and Toulose-Lautrec, who all used colour to depict emotions. He took these concepts and made them his own. That same year, his father died, leaving the care of his remaining siblings under his responsibility. His father's death increased the underlying depression that plagued Munch throughout his life, but he managed to carry on. Sadly, his work during that time reflected his means of coping, namely depictions of dark taverns where he tried to drown his sorrows.

By 1892, a bright spot entered Munch's life in the form of an invitation to exhibit his work at an exhibition with the Union of Berlin Artists in Germany. While his artwork caused enough controversy to shut down the exhibition after only one week, this pleased him enough to make Berlin home for the next four years. During his time there, he worked on his 'Frieze of Life', which was a collection of pieces that represented life, death, anxiety, hopelessness, jealousy and sexual humiliation. They caused a stir that could not be ignored.  Munch also began to experiment with lithographs, woodcuts and photographs to allow his artwork to be seen by a wider audience.

The Day After - 1894

The depression that plagued Munch throughout his life came to a head in 1908. Always prone to the drink, after a devastating breakup with Tulla Larsen, he became a heavy drinker and suffered from even more health problems. By the fall of the that year, he checked himself into a clinic in Copenhagen and remained there for eight months. The effects of his treatment are seen in his subsequent artwork, as his tone was often less dark and pessimistic after that.

During his remaining years, Munch led a more secluded lifestyle. He finally won recognition and praise in his home country and was able to buy property in Ekly, Norway. While he continued to paint, landscapes now reigned, as well as many portraits. The war years were difficult for him, as he had many friends in Germany, but did not support Hitler's regime. When the Nazis took over Norway, he subsequently hid all of his artwork to prevent it from being discovered. On January 23, 1944 Edvard Munch died peacefully at home.

Munch was nothing, if not a master of emotion. His use of colour and raw emotion lent itself to many dramatic works that are just as familiar today as they were then. His iconic painting "The Scream" is recognized by one and all and this coming Saturday, Budding Artists will be exploring the life and styles of this gifted painter. So if you have a budding artist in your home, why not think about having them join us for our art workshop this week.