It became a source of subject matter for his paintings, especially for his nearly abstract images of the garden’s lily pond.
The defining figure of Impressionism, Monet gave the movement its name with his painting, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), 1872. Monet was known for his studies of light and color, and often returned to the same themes (haystacks, the cathedral in Rouen, France), to capture them at different times of day or in different seasons. Born in Paris, he grew up in the port city of Le Harve, becoming a painter after he defied his father’s wishes to join the family grocery business. Besides painting, Monet is famous for the garden he cultivated for his house in Giverny northwest of Paris. It became a source of subject matter for his paintings, especially for his nearly abstract images of the garden’s lily pond.