No other artist, except J. M. W. Turner, attempted as much as Claude Monet (1840–1926) to capture light on canvas. Of all the Impressionists, he was the man whom Cézanne called “only an eye, but what an eye!” who remained faithful to the principle of absolute devotion to visual sensation, painting directly from the object. It could be said that Monet revolutionized the possibilities of color. Whether through his early interest in Japanese prints, during his tenure in the brilliant brightness of Algeria, or through his personal acquaintance with the most important painters of the late 19th century, the work Monet produced throughout his long life would forever change the way we perceive both the natural world and related phenomena. The pinnacle of his explorations was the later series of water lilies, which he painted in his garden at Giverny, and with their approach to near absolute indeterminacy, are truly the origin of abstract art. This biography does full justice to this most remarkable and deeply influential artist, offering many reproductions and archival photographs along with detailed and insightful commentary.