Monet

Hailed the &ldquo Prince of the Impressionists&rdquo , Claude Monet (1840-1926) transformed expectations for the purpose of paint on canvas. Defying the precedent of centuries, Monet did not seek to render only reality, but the act of perception itself. Working &ldquo en plein air&rdquo with rapid, impetuous brushstrokes, he interrogated the play of light on the hues, patterns, and contours and the way in which these visual impressions fall upon the eye.