CLAUDE MONET was born in Paris on the 14th November, 1840. In 1863, He joined the studio of Charles Gleyre. There, Monet was to meet three very influential friends: Frédéric Bazille, Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley. The unifying force the commitment and intense dedication to their new approach to art, eventually labeled impressionism. Monet’s entry was “broadly handled with a loaded brush, giving a rough surface texture and clearly visible brushstrokes, and sacrificing detail to overall effect.” In 1892, he painted a series of Rouen Cathedral, where aspect of the scene was altered in accordance with the changing light. At last, Monet gained renown. Monet devoted himself to gardening which, in turn, provided a motif for the painter’s last important series of works, The Water Lilies. Monet was absorbed in this project from 1900 until his death in 1926.