Claude Monet was a French Impressionist painter, widely regarded as the vanguard of the style. The term “Impressionism” is derived from his 1873 painting, “Impression, Soleil Levant,” or “Impression, Sunrise,” after a critic described the piece as not looking complete but more of an impression.
More than 400 reproductions of his work are included in the traveling show “Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience,” which opens Friday in Virginia Beach. The images will swim around the gallery’s floor and walls, allowing visitors to step into some of his most popular landscapes, including “Water Lilies” and “Haystacks.”
A similar exhibit, “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” had a successful run at the Virginia Beach Convention Center last year and will be shown on select dates during the Monet run. The partnership seems fitting: Van Gogh was inspired by Monet’s work.
Monet, born in 1840, became known for his use of vivid colors, light and fluid depictions of pastoral vignettes. He was an ardent practitioner of en plein air painting — painting outdoors. He was raised in Normandy and was inspired to paint at an early age by its bucolic beauty, much to the chagrin of his business-oriented father. His mother supported his ambitions until she died in 1857. Monet went to live with an aunt and began his formal studies under Charles Gleyre, becoming friends with another student, the iconic Impressionist painter Auguste Renoir.
As with many struggling artists of the time, Monet gained little fame for his early work despite his artistic prowess. In 1883, he moved to an estate in Giverny, France. With financial help from a patron, he eventually bought the property and transformed its old orchards into a flower and water garden that became the model for some of his most famous artwork.
He died in 1926; his garden still flourishes and is open to the public.
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If you go
When: Friday through Sept. 5
Where: Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19th St.
Tickets: Start at $34.99; discounts available
Details: monetvirginiabeach.com
