Monet was the driving force of Impressionism. Ambitious, determined and stubborn, he
was gifted with an astonishing technical ability and a precision of observation that few
artists have rivalled. Brought up on the Seine estuary he came into contact with Boudin
and Jongkind who inspired him to ignore the conventions of the past and work directly
from nature, recording only what his eyes could see. In Paris he met Renoir, Sisley,
Pissarro and Bazille, then later Manet who invited them to join his artist friends at the
Cafe Guerbois. After a disastrous exhibition the group became known as the
Impressionists, a chance name that has remained with them ever since.