Claude Monet is sure to be at the top of your homeschool artist study list! His paintings are everywhere and his contribution to art history is unparalleled. It is his own painting Impression-- Sunrise that gave Impressionism its name!
Monet's subject matter is especially family friendly and generally enjoyed by most everyone. So if you're looking for a painter to begin your artist study with, Monet is a great choice!
Hopefully you already understand the basics of a Charlotte Mason styled artist study. If you need to brush up, visit CM Artist Study for the basic how-tos.
Monet Study Ideas
- You may want a book, bought from your local bookstore or borrowed from your library.
- Don't forget calendars as possible art print sources! Monet's art is a common wall calendar topic. Look for bargains mid-year.
- Of course, you can rely on online sources as long as your Internet connection is reliable and a computer is available. Olga's Gallery has almost 200 Monet paintings -- enough prints to keep you busy each day for an entire school year!
- Download a Monet art screensaver or wallpaper freeware to gaze at all month.
Decide if you want to study one print per day or one per week. Just make sure that you study at least 12 of Monet's works to provide a firm understanding and appreciation of his style.
To make it super easy for you, here is a linked list of 12 suggested paintings to study:
- Terrace at Saint-Adresse 1867
- The Picnic (Le dejeuner sur l'herbe) 1865-1866
- Lady with a Parasol 1875
- Gare Saint Lazare, Paris 1877
- Haystack. End of the Summer. Morning 1891
- Rouen Cathedral 1893-1894
- Poplars on the Banks of the Epte 1891
- The Japanese Bridge 1899
- Water-Lilies 1914
- Red Poppies at Argenteuil 1873
- Impression: Sunrise 1873
- The Bridge at Argenteuil 1874
Monet often painted multiple versions of the same subject, choosing different times of day and different seasons to capture the subtle changes in light. If your children especially like a certain painting, study a few more in that series and if possible compare/contrast them.
Besides the regular painting study, you may want to incorporate some hands-on activities into your study! Monet's style and subject matter offer so many fun possibilities.
First, try your hand at creating impressionistic styled art. Go outdoors and sketch a scene that reminds you of Monet's paintings.
Or copy one of Monet's masterpieces using watercolors at home.
Or create your own impressionistic masterpiece using whatever is on hand -- in this case simple markers!
For more activity ideas to supplement your study of Monet, visit Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists. There is also a cartoon styled coloring page of Monet at his outdoor canvas.
Watercolor Pencils
Faber-Castell Watercolor Pencils 36 Pk.
Amazon Price: $12.79 (as of 07/05/2009)
Watercolor paints look easy, but they are not for the novice. Give your children a more familiar and easier to control medium -- pencils. Then with the stroke of a wet paintbrush, you can create watercolor effects! Watch the video below for more about using these watercolor pencils.
Watercolor Pencil Tutorial
"What could be said about me -- a man to whom only his painting matters? And of course his garden and his flowers as well."
--- Claude Monet
Monet's Artwork
A great activity for any artist study is to visit an art gallery or museum and see actual art. Look for an opportunity near you! Even if it's not Monet, visiting any Impressionist exhibit will be of great benefit!
Linnea in Monet's Garden
Linnea in Monet's Garden
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 07/05/2009)
Used Price: $0.01
This book is absolutely precious! Not only does it teach about Monet and his art, it delves into nature study and geography! The winsome style is so appealing and makes this book one to treasure even when your study of Monet is over.
About Monet & His Art
Here are some free, online resources to help with background information. Remember, that according to a Charlotte Mason style of artist study, your focus is on the artwork itself, not the biography of the artist. But CM did allow incorporating facts about the artist as long as it didn't detract from the enjoyment of the paintings.- Inside Scoop from National Gallery of Art
- This PDF printable, full color document offers a good introduction to Monet.
- Claude Monet at NGA
- Interactive lessons with facts and artwork.
- Turner Whistler Monet Teacher's Guide
- Printable notes indroducing the Turner Whistler Monet exhibition at Tate Museum.
- The Lure of Giverny
- Teacher resources galore from the Columbus Museum of Art -- biography of Monet, facts about Giverny, list of quotations.
"What I need most of all is color, always, always."
--- Claude Monet
POLL -- Your Favorite Monet
Monet's work is just so visually appealing! Most every painting is a gorgeous celebration of color and light.
I know it's hard to choose just one. But try. You can consider the photo here as representative of an entire series or another version of that same topic.
More Monet Study Ideas
from bloggers just like you
- The Bergenholtz Family Bergblog
- Mom Phyllis shares multiple lesson ideas for studying Monet. Her children seem to especially enjoy reproducing Monet styled art!
- Monet with Kindergarten
- The art teacher Grant Thomas shares how he introduces Impressionism to his Kindergarten students.
- Ms. Julie's Place -- Maybe Monet?
- Julie says, "Monet is fun to try to emulate, because even though he was a master, it is very hard to get it wrong." What an encouraging start to her tips for creating in Monet's style.
Monet Bibliography
Supplement your study with extra living books about Monet! Arrange these in a basket by the couch or on the coffee table for recreational reading.
The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt
Julie is a happy little girl who lives in Paris, b more...1 point
Color Your Own Monet Paintings (Dover Pictorial Archives) by Claude Monet
Colorists of all ages are invited to create their more...1 point
Twelve Monet Bookmarks (Small-Format Bookmarks) by Claude Monet
Monet came to be regarded as one of the greatest o more...0 points
Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies: Sunshine and Waterlilies (Smart About Art)
"Steven" traces Monet's life from his ch more...0 points
A Blue Butterfly
In a garden of spectacular beauty in Giverny, Fran more...0 points
Monet Printable Resources Online
Notebooking Pages, Minibooks, and Coloring Pages
If your children do not enjoy sketching or are threatened by a blank piece of paper, they may prefer to begin with a coloring page with a black and white outline. Try coloring or painting these free printables!
Or make some minibooks with the free templates offered by another talented homeschool mom!
- Picnic
- A coloring page for younger children to recreate their own Monet masterpiece.
- Woman with Umbrella
- Another coloring page. After coloring or painting, this would make a great addition to your art notebook!
- Haystacks
- A super simple outline form for reproducing your own version of Monet's Haystacks.
- Monet Printable Minibooks
Look in the column to the left titled FILES for the Monet Lapbooking Booklets. Lynn has also created some mystery painting notebook pages for Monet.
These particular minibooks are called matchbooks. As you can see in the picture to the right, we mounted ours on a piece of cardstock so that they would fit well into our artist study notebook.- The Lure of Giverny
- A PDF set of images from the Columbus Museum of Art.
- Monet Notebooking Page
This is a page I made. It's black & white with a heading, an image of Monet, and room for drawing or pasting two pieces of art.- Claude Monet Notebooking Page
- A free printable notebooking page with a full color reproduction in the corner.
- The Terrace at Sainte-Adresse Coloring Page
- A fairly detailed coloring page.
Monet Biography & Criticism
"Gardening was something I learned in my youth when I was unhappy. I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."
--- Claude Monet
Monet's Inspiration at Giverny
For some help in planning an art - nature connection, look at this great Summer Kit from Hearts and Trees.
Monet on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Other Artists
The process of artist study is the same for each artist. If you'd like some inspiration for other artists, visit these other pages.-
Picasso Artist Study
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Study the artwork of a modern artist whose very name has come to mean a masterpiece of art-- "a Picasso." If your children have been studying more traditional artists, the works of Picasso may be a most welcome change of style. Dabble into the arti...
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Cassatt Artist Study
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Mary Cassatt is an excellent choice for your homeschool artist study. She is one of the few women Impressionists, and commonly portrays domestic scenes of women and children. She was American by birth, but lived for much of her life in France, surro...
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John James Audubon Artist Study
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Was John James Audubon a sketching naturalist or a nature loving artist? Actually, his bird drawings were intended to be scientific sketches instead of art. But most people would agree that his careful observation of birds brought a realism and deta...
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Vermeer Artist Study
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Vermeer is a rather mysterious artist. We have no portraits to tell us what he looked like. Even the facts of his life are few. We do know that he left only thirty-five paintings, and his creation of a few of them is still disputed. With little back...
Guestbook
Your comments are appreciated.
Feel free to link to online photos or blog entries about your study of Monet.
janices7 wrote...
LOVE - LOVE - LOVE this lens. I am a huge Monet fan. My husband and I recently visited his garden at Giverny and it was literally one of the best days of my life. You covered Monet A to Z in this lens.....superb job! 5*
Posted February 26, 2009
JaguarJulie wrote...
I am a long-time fan of Monet's artwork -- lovely lens. I also love Renoir.
Posted January 13, 2009
groovyoldlady wrote...
Well, I must admit that you've made this art ignoramus a bit more interested and educated. This is a wonderful lens...
Posted November 22, 2008
Wysiwigs wrote...
Great lens ~ I love Monet's work, especially his water lily studies (very soothing to look at :o) 5* and I salute you for being a homeschooling Mom!
Http://www.squidoo.com/ConnieCrankpot
Posted November 21, 2008
Julie Moses of Miss Julie's Art School wrote
Wow, this is very extensive. Next time we cover Monet I will be adding this page as a resource link!
Thanks for the Squidoo suggestion, I will be looking into it. What a wonderful homeschooler you must be!
Posted August 21, 2008
by Jimmie
Hello! I am a homeschooling mom who loves to teach and learn. I love the flexibility of Squidoo lenses for showing off our homeschool projects. Bloggi...
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