Claude Monet, born in Paris in 1840, was the initiator and leader of the impressionist movement. Concerned with capturing the direct and spontaneous nature of outdoor scenes, Monet was the first to have his rapidly painted landscapes stand as completed works. In 1874, responding to his landscape, Impression: Sunrise, a critic referred to the entire show as impressionist, and a movement was born.

Claude Monet's landscapes are seen as the epitome of impressionist art. From his earliest days in Le Havre, the artist was fascinated by the moving tapestry of the sea, landscapes, and finally the water lilies of Giverny. In 1883, Monet settled in Giverny where he painted a series of large paintings of water lilies, which influenced abstract painters who came later. Monet's aim was to capture the "beauty of the atmosphere, the impossible' and make it live forever in his pictures.