The term Impressionism is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant, exhibited in 1874 (the ‘exhibition of rejects’) initiated by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the official Salon.
Oscar-Claude Monet
Claude Monet painting of the facade of Reouen Cathedral showing the portal in the sunClaude Monet: Rouen Cathedral. Public domain. Musée Marmottan Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (November 14, 1840-December 5, 1926) is the most famous of the Impressionist painters. He’s seen as a key precursor to modernism, painting nature as he saw it, particularly en plein air(outdoor) landscapes and was influenced early in his career by Boudin. The term Impressionism is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant, exhibited in 1874 (the ‘exhibition of rejects’) initiated by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the official Salon.