The mentor who changed Monet

Unexpected encounters often shape the world of art. The chance meeting of Eugène Boudin (1824-1898) and Claude-Oscar Monet (1840-1926) in 1858 not only altered the latter's artistic trajectory from a skilled caricaturist to a renowned landscapist but also helped establish the foundation of Impressionism.

At the time, most landscape painting took place in studios, where artists composed their works from sketches, memories, and academic conventions. Nature was interpreted, refined, and controlled in closed spaces before appearing on canvas. Boudin challenged that tradition and asserted the importance of painting en plein air, or in the open air. "Everything that is painted directly and on the spot,” he insisted, “possesses a force and vivacity of touch that is absent in studio work."

A talent for sketching

In 1858, Monet was a teenager living in the bustling port town of Le Havre in northern France. He disliked formal schooling and considered the classroom a kind of prison. He, however, showed a talent for sketching. His lively caricature portraits were admired and sought after by locals, and often displayed in the window of the local frame shop. Hanging in the same window were seascapes by Boudin, a sight the young artist could not stand.

The two artists met by chance at the frame shop. Boudin seized the initiative to compliment Monet for his caricatures. “You are gifted,” he said. “Your sketches are amusing, clever, and bright. But I hope you will not stop there.”

Being 16 years older, he urged Monet to ‘study, learn to see and to paint, draw, make landscapes’. “The sea and the sky, the animals, the people, and the trees are so beautiful,” said Boudin, “just as nature has made them, with their character, their genuineness, in the light, in the air, just as they are.”

Monet was struck by Boudin’s earnest and sincere words, but resisted any change in his work. He even avoided Boudin at first, but eventually yielded to his genteel nature, persistence and unwavering kindness.

A simple man with a humble devotion to nature and art, Boudin recognised his own limitations. But he possessed a sensitive eye and a clear mind, articulating his observations in simple terms. Monet not only observed Boudin at work but also benefited from their conversations. "My eyes were finally opened, and I truly understood nature; I learned at the same time to love it."

Beginning that summer, the two artists frequently sketched and painted together along the Normandy coast. Boudin introduced Monet to the practical techniques of making preparatory studies to compose landscapes. He taught Monet to observe nature, analyse its light and values, and translate those extraordinary but fleeting effects onto canvas.

Boudin’s passion, artistry and commitment captivated Monet. As he observed Boudin set up his easel on the beaches of Normandy, he underwent a profound transformation. Reflecting on that pivotal moment that opened the door to his artistic destiny, he said: “I looked on with some apprehension, then more attentively, and suddenly it was as if a veil was torn away; I had understood, had grasped what painting could be. Boudin’s absorption of his work and his independence were enough to decide the entire future and development of my painting.” He not only remained faithful to Boudin’s early advice but also always acknowledged the significant impact Boudin had on his artistic development.

A new way to observe

In the following years and decades, Monet went on to revolutionise landscape painting. He showed new ways to perceive, observe, and interpret nature. He was a central figure in the First Impressionist Exhibition in 1874, to which he invited his mentor Boudin to participate as well. The exhibition was a critical and commercial failure, but the artists continued their passion, hosting seven more Impressionist exhibitions between 1876 and 1886.

Over time, Impressionism became recognised as one of the most significant and discussed art movements. What was once mocked became celebrated. The reputation of Monet and his fellow Impressionists soared, and their works were eagerly collected. Art critics began to acknowledge the Impressionist technique as an innovative style capable of conveying a new way of perceiving the world. At the heart of this change was Monet, whose ‘fragments of colour’ were eventually hailed as strokes of genius.

Art historian Robert Hughes later wrote that, at the core of Monet’s achievement was his sense of time. “He was fascinated by the discontinuous nature of reality. He constructed a unified light, meaning, and mood from an accumulation of specific fragments, each the size of a brush mark. He gave Impressionism the dignity of classical art.”

In his later years, Monet settled in Giverny, where he created the garden that would become both his sanctuary and his subject. This symbolic paradise is now a must-see for art lovers visiting France. As his vision deteriorated in his final years, he rarely left his garden. His world narrowed to the lilies and the light he had cultivated for decades. Despite his failing eyes and a trembling hand, he continued to paint until the very end

Monet passed away in 1926 at the age of 86. His mentor and friend, Boudin, often referred to as ‘the king of the skies’, died much earlier on August 8, 1898, aged 74.