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Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)
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FAMILY LIFE
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When Claude Monet was a boy some of his family members were not sure if Monet should become an artist. His family contained of his father, Adolphe Monet, his mother, Louise Monet, an older brother, and an aunt (his mother's sister) Madame Lecadre, who was very close to them.
Monet was born in Paris, France, but when he was 5 years old his family moved to La Havre. When he was almost a grown up, 19 years old, he moved back to Paris to study art.
While living in La Havre Claude's family was rather rich, because his father owned a big general store there. Unfortunately his father believed in making money by hard work only, not painting, and he didn't understand that his son is talented and should become an artist. Claude's mother had better understanding of art, but she died when Monet was only 17 years old. Only with help of his aunt, Madame Lecadre, Claude was able to follow his dream and become an artist. Madame Lecadre encouraged Monet to move to Paris and study art, she helped him financially, and kept persuading Claude's father that the art is Monet's call.
When Monet moved to Paris in 1859, at age 19, he soon made friends with several young men interested in art just like him.
Claude Monet, Pierre August Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frederick Bazille became very close friends, and for many following years they were like family to one another. They were developing new, similar ideas in their art, suffering failures together, helping one another financially, and just enjoying their wonderful friendship.
At about the same time Monet met in Paris a wonderful, nice, and outgoing young lady Camille Doncieux. They fell in love, had a son, later got married, and had another son. Their first son Jean was born in 1867, and second son Michel in 1877.
After Camille died in 1879 Claude developed a relationship with another woman Alice Horschede. Alice was a wife of Ernest Horschede, art collector and friend of Monet. After Ernest died Monet married Alice in 1892, and their new family was also joined by six children from Alice's first marriage.
During marriage with Camille at first Monets were very poor,
because Claude's paintings were not popular yet, and they were not selling well. Monet was sad and depressed at that time, and he was not very good to Camille. It took him a long time to make a decision about marriage (finally he married her in 1870, three years after their first son was born), and he even left her alone in Paris when she was pregnant with Jean, and he spend about a year by himself in his aunt's summer house in Sainte Adresse (1967 - 1968). He kept in touch with Camille and tried to support her, but he couldn't give her much. His aunt was providing money and support for him only. Both Claude's aunt and his father were not accepting Camille, what didn't make things easier for Monet.
However later, when Monet returned to Paris in 1868 and moved in with Camille and their baby, he just realized that he loves them very much and being with them is real happiness for him. Ever since he was a good husband and father. They were poor but happy. You can see Camille in many of Claude's paintings. She was a beautiful woman, and both their children were gorgeous kids.
Marriage with Alice brought also the financial stability. Monet was a recognized artist by that time. He was content and happy with Alice and their eight children. He loved and cared for all of the children very much. He treated his stepchildren like his own. Some of them, like the oldest stepdaughter Blanche, became an artist too. It was a great joy for Monet.
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Woman with a Parasol
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