Prophetic painting by Monet Woman with an umbrella! terrible fate, which he himself prophesied
A great artist, a talented gardener and a very bad husband. How the inability to give love changed the fate of Claude Monet, and why the image of his first wife came to him even after her deаth.
The founder of French impressionism, who went through a difficult path from a poor novice artist to a recognized maestro, is Claude Monet. His paintings fascinate even those who do not like art, and his talent still serves as an inspiration for young painters.
There were many twists and turns in his life and impressive moments, but today we will focus on Claude Monet’s first love. On the one whose image came to him long years after the forced distance. Why was the first «Woman with an Umbrella» unique and who is Camille Donsier?
Behind every successful man is…a woman
The decision not to continue the grocer dynasty came to the young Monet as a teenager. How can a person who, instead of having lessons, run away from the bustle of the city and paint rocks and the sea (and already paints with talent), can choose such an unromantic path?
And although his first teacher, Eugene Boudin, predicted great success for the young ward, Claude Monet stepped into poverty with confident steps. There was talent, but who would agree to pay for it without a weighty name in the world?
With landscape sketches, everything went perfectly: they turned out and even differed in the author’s style. But what about people? After all, at that time it was as fashionable to order portraits as it is now to take photos on a Polaroid.
But in 1865, she appeared in his life — a recognized model and muse of the masters of French painting, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edouard Manet, with whom the hero of our article should not be confused in any way
(although we admit, sometimes it is tempting to go on this insidious for art crime).
Camille Donsier was then only 18, Claude Monet was already 25. The ideal model very quickly became the artist’s serious love interest — feelings flared up quickly and for a long time.
They say that the famous «Woman in Green» Monet wrote in just a few days. The picture made a real stir: it was not just accepted in the salon, it was greeted with applause and cordially giving the most flattering reviews. The lovers are happy — there is definitely a great future ahead.
Poverty is not a vice
But, alas, the consequences were not so rosy: the future masterpiece of world art could not serve as a foundation for financial well-being. For the next few years, the Monet couple literally pursued success:
they lived in damp cellars, occasionally ate bread, which, out of the kindness of their souls, was brought by fellow artists. And they moved from house to house — at night, silently, because there was simply no money to pay the owner.
Claude tirelessly wrote, most often her — his muse and love. Did he then realize what he condemned the girl to? Feelings blinded the mind, agreeing to all the hardships, Camilla followed her husband everywhere (by the way, they were never officially scheduled).
Very soon, the time came to give birth to her first son: she remained in cold and hungry Paris, and he left for the unknown to seek inspiration.
True, he still did not forget about his wife Monet — while on a “business trip”, he regularly begged Frederic Basil to send money to his young mother. It’s time to return home and it seems that a miracle happened:
the newborn became the new meaning of the artist’s life, and love for Camille increased to infinity.
And again, only she is on all the canvases. The family has already managed to refuse maintenance: what kind of connection is this with a frivolous model — either leave the girl with the child, or forget the way home.
They say that love can conquer everything. Perhaps, however, from canvas to canvas, Camilla’s beautiful eyes became sadder, and her eyes became more and more hopeless.
