Born in Paris in 1840, Monet was the founder of French impressionist painting, a style that includes common, everyday subjects -- particularly nature -- painted with visible brush strokes, unusual angles, and an emphasis on light and movement. The term "Impressionism" actually came from the title of Monet's painting "Impression, Sunrise."

Many of Monet's works feature the French countryside of the early 1900s, and he loved to paint in his garden at his home in Giverny, France. His garden paintings, such as "A Garden Path" and "Water Lilies" were (and still are) quite popular, and they sold well, enabling Monet to rise out of poverty and live comfortably until his death in 1926.