Caricature of Jules Didier (Butterfly Man)

It sounds quite obvious, but some of the great artists were showing their artistic geniuses even in their childhood. Today is Children's Day (!) and we want to present you an amazing work by Claude Monet, who became super famous in his hometown as a teenager when he started drawing caricatures of the known and famous citizens of Le Havre.  : )

He sold these at a local store for 10 to 20 francs apiece. They were often depictions of his teachers and his fellow students would purchase them. His talent was evident in these caricatures and luckily a professional artist, Eugene Boudin, took notice. He was the one who taught Monet to paint en plein air, which was the basis of future Impressionist rules. These works may also have influenced him in his future style. Caricatures pick a few elements and focus on them disproportionately. Perhaps this would apply later to his paintings as he would observe elements and then focus on them, painting something realistic yet surreal.

If you would like to learn more about the beginnings of Monet and other Impressionists, please check our Mega Impressionist Course or check our Impressionist Notebooks.  : ))))

P.S. Did you know that Monet was a master of caricatures? Here's all you need to know!