Democratizing Art

One of Monet's most significant legacies was helping to democratize art. By choosing everyday subjects—train stations, haystacks, suburban gardens—he showed that beauty exists in the commonplace. This rejection of traditional "noble" subjects like mythology or history painting made art more accessible and relevant to ordinary people.

The Impressionist technique itself, emphasizing immediate perception over academic training, suggested that anyone with eyes to see could appreciate and even create art. While Monet's technique was actually highly sophisticated, its appearance of spontaneity encouraged amateur painters and broadened participation in artistic creation.

The commercial success of Impressionism also changed art's economics. The dealer-gallery system that developed to market Impressionist works created alternatives to official patronage, allowing artists greater independence. This model, refined by dealers like Paul Durand-Ruel and Ambroise Vollard, established patterns of art commerce that persist today.