Claude Monet was a famous French Impressionist painter born in 1840 in Paris. He showed an early interest in art but his father wanted him to take over the family grocery store. After his mother's death in 1857, he left school to study art. During his mandatory military service, he met other artists like Renoir and Bazille who would become lifelong friends. Monet is renowned for his paintings of nature, landscapes, and scenes depicting the effects of light. He helped develop the Impressionist style through his use of loose brushstrokes, vivid colors, and focus on capturing fleeting visual impressions rather than strict accuracy.