I have a free 4 weeks Claude Monet unit study and the best hands-on ideas. Also, look at my page Free Art Units for more fun art ideas and Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more unit studies.
This Monet unit study is ideal for the whole family.
It can be modified to make it easy for the youngest learner or create more of a challenge for middle and high school.
Claude Monet’s painting style was Impressionism.
It is a style made up of small, visible brushstrokes that offer a minimal impression of form, and unblended color.
There is an emphasis on the accurate depiction of natural light.
Two other major artists known for this style were Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas.
We are going to put our focus on Monet for this study, his style, life, and works.
BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT CLAUDE MONET
Digging a bit into his history and inspiration for his beautiful paintings.
First, look at these books to add to your study.
5 Books About Claude Monet For Kids Who Love To Read And Be Read To
Add one or two of these fun books about the famous artist Claude Monet.
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series combines a delightful mix of full-color historical reproductions, photos, and hilarious cartoon-style illustrations that bring to life the works of renowned artists, combining poignant anecdotes with important factual information for readers (Ages 8-9).This book provides an entertaining and humorous introduction to the famous artist, Claude Monet. Full-color reproductions of the actual paintings are enhanced by Venezia's clever illustrations and story line.
Linnea has been in Paris. And she has visited the painter Claude Monet's garden! She even stood on the same little Japanese bridge that Monet painted so often in his pictures. In Paris, Linnea got to see many of the real paintings.
Now she can understand what it means to be called an Impressionist, and she knows a lot about Monet's life in the pink house where he lived with his eight children.
Twenty-five years after its original publication, this celebration of the wonder of art is available once again in an enlarged keepsake edition. The joy and inspiration Linnea discovers in Monet's garden will be eagerly embraced by a new generation of readers.
Introduce kids ages 9 through 12 to the artworld's most famous painters, styles, and periods, all brought to life through full-color photographs of 40 masterpieces, as well as charming original illustrations. This gorgeously illustrated reader highlights 40 painters and sculptors, including Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, Diego Velasquez, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Mary Cassatt, and Andy Warhol, providing information on their life, inspirations, influences, technique, and a full-color photo of one of their signature works of art. It also includes an overview of various styles and periods (Renaissance, Impressionism, Cubism, etc.), instruction on how to view and appreciate art, and information on the color wheel and other tools artists employ.
Parents, teachers, and gift givers will find:
- gorgeous illustrations and reproductions of works by the artists
- a fun and educational story for home or the classroom
- a great series to be used for home school materials
- a whole series of books for children to learn about important artists!
Author and illustrator Laurence Anholt recalls memorable and sometimes amusing moments when the lives of the artists were touched by children. Anholt's fine illustrations appear on every page and include reproductions of works by the artists.
Art is everywhere. Whether you are sitting in a library or walking around the city, you will find examples of art all over. But how do you know when something is art? How is one piece different from the next? In Meet Claude Monet, you will learn from one of the greatest artists of all time. Who better to show how wild strokes can make something beautiful? See what he can show you about Impressionism! Then, examine your favorite places and create art for yourself.Travel through time as you flip each page. Visit artwork from the greatest names in history.Meet the Artist is Read With You’s introduction to the world of art. This series weaves interesting facts with gorgeous art as the artists themselves engagingly introduce their masterpieces. On each colorful page, the artist points out significant details and personal touches in pieces that have captured the world with their beauty. Young readers will practice their reading skills and challenge themselves to examine art like an expert, while soaking up world-famous artwork. Parents and teachers will love the creative questions and activities that encourage readers to apply the concepts they’ve learned and test new techniques.
Next, look at this first week.
INTRODUCTION TO CLAUDE MONET WEEK 1
Monet’s Life and Background
- Monet was born in 1840 in France, and while he traveled, he spent most of his entire life in France.
- He was the leader of the impressionist movement, a critic once called his work “Impressionism” due to its lack of realism with an emphasis on light and form instead and the movement was born.
- Monet began losing his sight to cataracts in 1912 and was declared legally blind in 1922 but continued painting right up until his death in 1926.
- He destroyed over 500 of his paintings due to a combination of being displeased with his work, seeking perfection in it, and because of the effects of his deteriorating vision
Impressionism Movement:
Impressionism is a style of painting that started in France in the late 1800s. Instead of painting things exactly as they looked, artists wanted to capture a feeling or moment.
Some characteristics of impressionism are:
- Impressionists liked to show light changes and how it interacted with objects, focusing on the effects of light and shadow rather than precise details.
- They used a wide range of colors, often applying them in short, quick brushstrokes to give their paintings vibrancy and a feeling of movement.
- Instead of mixing colors on a palette, they often applied different colors side-by-side on a brush and then on the canvas, allowing the viewer’s eye to mix them.
- Impressionists often depicted ordinary scenes of everyday life, such as landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, and scenes of leisure.
- Many Impressionist artists preferred painting outdoors (en plein air) to study light and color in real-time.
Activities
- Read Monet’s biography, Who Was Claude Monet is great for middle elementary through early middle while Monet Paints a Day is a sweet picture book for younger children.
- Discuss the characteristics of Impressionism above.
- View a gallery of Monet’s works to examine his subjects, series, and techniques.
- Play an Art Game to look at different artists and painting methods, comparing and contrasting is a great way to look at art.
MONET’S TECHNIQUES WEEK 2
Light and Color in Monet’s Paintings:
- Monet considered light to be the true subject of his paintings. He aimed to show the changing qualities of light throughout the day and across different seasons. This meant focusing on the play of light and shadow, reflections, and even atmospheric effects.
- He used color to represent the way light interacts with objects and the environment. He did not aim for realistic color representation, but instead used color to convey the sensation of light.
Brushstrokes and Texture
- Monet employed visible, broken brushstrokes rather than smooth, blended ones. This technique allowed him to capture the fleeting effects of light and movement.
- His brushstrokes were often short, quick dabs or strokes of color, applied rapidly to the canvas. This method created a sense of immediacy and spontaneity.
- The direction of the brushstrokes often followed the form of the objects he painted, adding to the sense of movement and life within the scene.
- He applied pure colors directly to the canvas, side by side, rather than mixing them on the palette. This allowed the viewer’s eye to blend the colors, creating a vibrant and luminous effect.
- Monet frequently used impasto, applying paint thickly to the canvas. This created a textured surface that added depth and physicality to his paintings.
- The varied texture of his brushstrokes contributed to the overall texture of the painting, enhancing the sense of light and atmosphere.
- The textured surface of his paintings added a sense of tactility, inviting the viewer to engage with the artwork on a physical level.
Activities
Experiment with different light sources (e.g., flashlight, lamp, natural light) on the same object.
Practice short, visible brushstrokes. Try different thicknesses of paint, shorter and slightly longer strokes, and combine colors on the canvas by picking up two different colors on each side of the brush rather than mixing on the palette.
Recreate a small portion of a Monet painting or try to recreate the entire scene, below I have a basic tutorial for capturing the style of Monet’s impressionist painting of Poppies.
MONET’S SERIES PAINTINGS WEEK 3
Series Paintings:
Monet often painted series of the same subject at different times of day to capture the changing light conditions. Examples include his series of Rouen Cathedral, Haystacks, and Water Lilies. These series highlight his focus on light and color variation.
Activities
Create a series of sketches of the same object at different times, this can be right in your own backyard or at a local park. You just want to notice the changes in light and the textures.
Compare different paintings from the same series to see the changes in light and texture. Thumb through a book like Monet: The Essential Paintings to see a variety of his works, this makes a beautiful coffee table book for those who like to strew.
Discuss the effect of light and time on the subject.
MONET’S GARDEN AT GIVERNY WEEK 4
Monet was strongly inspired by nature and often turned to his garden at his home in Giverny for a subject. For instance, “The Artist’s Garden at Giverny” and the iconic “Water Lilies” series were both painted from scenes at his home.
His home was originally called “House of the Cider-Press” and is now known as “Maison et jardins de Claude Monet”.
Water Lilies Pond
In the “Water Lilies” series, Monet used a vibrant color palette with techniques like wet-on-wet painting and impasto to capture the beauty of light and reflections on the water’s surface. His color palette consisted of blues, greens, reds, pinks, and yellows.
This is one of his most well-known series, and in fact, he painted them 250 times, near the end of his life it was his only subject.
Activities.
Paint or draw a water lily, Claude Monet Art for Kids – Impressionist-Inspired Process Art is a great technique that can be done by kids of all ages.
Explore photos and videos of Giverny, this site has a lovely tour of the gardens as well.
Learn about the types of flowers in Monet’s garden.
Of course, the famous water lilies but some of the other common flowers grown there were roses, clematis, poppies, nasturtiums, German Bearded Iris, tulips, forget-me-nots, pansies, wisteria vines, and azalea bushes.
PAINT MONET’S POPPY FIELD
You will need:
- Small canvas
- pencil
- Easel
- Acrylic paints
- Painters tape
- Gold paint
- Paintbrushes
- Paint palette
First, use painters tape to cover the outer edge of the canvas, we are going to use this area later to make our painting look framed.
Lightly sketch the line between the sky/treeline and the lower portion of the painting.
You can also make light sketches for the trees if you like and general shapes for the figures, although you will be covering them with paint.
Add all the colors you will need to a palette including white and black to lighten or darken your painting.
Start by filling in the ground using two colors at a time on the brush, remember impressionist painters liked to mix their colors right onto the canvas rather than a palette.
For the grass we alternated 2 shades of green and a green and yellow with quick short strokes until it was filed in.
Now move to the sky, either leaving plenty of white canvas showing for clouds or laying white over the blue once dry.
Allow your first layers of paint to dry and then begin layering on details like the trees along the skyline, the poppies…
And if you wish, the people and the house in the trees as well.
Remember this is an impressionist painting, it doesn’t need to be exact, you just want to give the overall “impression” of the scene.
You can leave the house and people if you prefer, this is your painting!
Finally, once the painting is dry, peel off the taped edges and add a layer of gold paint with a decorative edge all the way around.
Don’t forget the sides of the canvas to create a frame for your masterpiece.
