Monet and Impressionism

He then went to study painting at the studio of celebrated academic teacher Charles Gleyre. Gleyre's belief that nature was not everything put up a barrier between him and Monet (Janiszewski). It was in Gleyre's studio that Monet met his colleagues Frédéric Bazille, Alfred Sisley, and Pierre-Auguste Renior. It was his colleagues that often supported him and inspired him to try new techniques.
             Monet and his colleagues regularly submitted paintings to the annual Salon exhibitions. Works that seemed "unorthodox" or not traditional were often rejected from the shows, yet Monet and his colleagues still tried because it was the only relevant showcase of contemporary art at the time (Lallemand). In 1866 two of Monet's paintings were accepted to the Salon, Camille, and The Pavé Chailly, Forest of Fountainebleau. Around 1865 Monet met Camille Doncieux, his future wife. They lived together from time to time when their financed permitted it. .
             He was rejected once again that year from the Salon. They were married and in August Camille gave birth to their first child, Jean, but the couple was still penniless. Gaudibert, a local art collector, commissioned a portrait of his wife. During Monet's honeymoon the Franco-Prussian war broke out and Monet avoided conscription by moving to London. There he met the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel who was crucial to the development of Monet's career and the impressionism movement in general (Folkes).
             During his stay in London, Monet painted several canvasses, and had several successful showings. He then returned to France and settled with his family in the village of Argenteuil, where he continued to work and sell paintings (Tucker). Together with Renoir and Edgar Degas, Monet helped to organize the first "Impressionist Exhibition" in 1874. It included his Impressionism-Sunrise and a critic, in a devastating review, used the title of the painting, giving the name to the movement of art (Jackson).