Monet did not care for the human figure, so he worked at specializing in landscapes instead. Though he claimed to be an "on the spot" painter, he was known for sketching in paint first and later reworking the piece in his studio. He was also found to have worked from photographs a few times. It was always enraging for him to be caught in either act.
Because he grew up in a middle class family causing him to have little to no financial security as an adult, he kept his eye on the market. He wanted to create paintings he could reproduce easily, make several different versions of the same subject and turn everything over for a quick profit. This is why he was, and still is, often considered a good businessman. He finally felt secure at age sixty, in 1900, with his finances and began to paint primarily for himself.
As a young artist, he had difficulty being taken seriously. Despite the early commissions he received at age fifteen, he was still considered an independent by many fellow artists. Critics found his style ugly because his work seemed to be an unfinished hodge-podge dramatic color and brush strokes. His early education was by Eugene Boudin. Despite their clashing personalities in the beginning of their relationship, they soon were known to develop a lifelong friendship.
It was not until 1859 that Claude Monet truly committed himself to an artistic career. Though his dabblings prior to that gained him some recognition and he was somewhat of a reputable artist, he still had difficulty settling into the field. After a sixty-seven year career, he died on December 5, 1926 in France.
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