Monet By Himself: Paintings, Drawings, Pastels, Letters Book

This volume on the life and work of Claude Monet is quite unlike any other book on this popular artist. For the first time a collection of Monet's own letters have been translated and brought together with a large selection of his paintings, pastels and drawings. There are letters to fellow artists and youthful friends, long affectionate letters to family and loved ones and begging letters in times of hardship. We read of Monet's persistence in money matters, his long negotiations with picture-dealers and collectors, his frustrations and successes while on painting expeditions to Italy, Brittany and Norway, and his experience of solitude, illness and bereavement in later life. Monet emerges from the correspondence as a more troubled and complex individual than his sun-filled canvases might suggest. Alongside the artist's letters are many superb color reproductions — one of the largest collections of color plates of his paintings ever brought together in a single volume. These accompany the text and enable the reader to follow the young artist through his first encounters with the Parisian art scene, his days as a commanding presence in the Impressionist movement and the final chapter of his life when he produced some of his most ambitious and colorful work at Giverny.

Richard Kendall is a professional art historian, teacher and painter specializing in nineteenth-century French painting. Other publications include Degas 1834-1984, marking the artist's 150th anniversary, The Impressionist Revolution (contributor), and Cézanne by Himself and Degas by Himself.