Friendships: The Impressionist Brotherhood

Throughout his life, Monet maintained deep friendships that sustained him artistically and emotionally. His relationship with Pierre-Auguste Renoir was perhaps the most enduring. From their days as struggling students to their final years as recognized masters, they maintained a bond based on shared aesthetic vision and mutual support. Their painting expeditions together, particularly at La Grenouillère, produced some of Impressionism's defining works.

The friendship was not without its strains. Renoir's temporary return to the Salon in the early 1880s felt like a betrayal to Monet, who remained committed to independent exhibitions. Their aesthetic paths also diverged, with Renoir moving toward a more classical style while Monet pushed ever further into abstraction. Yet their affection endured. When Renoir, crippled by arthritis, visited Giverny in his final years, Monet would carry him to the garden so they could paint together one last time.

Gustave Caillebotte occupied a special place in Monet's life. Wealthy, generous, and talented, Caillebotte not only bought Monet's paintings when sales were scarce but also provided loans and gifts that kept the wolf from the door. Their correspondence reveals a relationship of equals, with Caillebotte seeking Monet's artistic advice while Monet relied on Caillebotte's financial acumen. Caillebotte's death in 1894 at age forty-five deprived Monet of one of his staunchest supporters.

The relationship with Édouard Manet was more complex. Monet admired Manet as the leader of the modern movement but was sometimes frustrated by the older artist's reluctance to fully embrace plein air painting. Manet's death in 1883 affected Monet deeply. He served as a pallbearer and worked tirelessly to ensure Manet's "Olympia" entered the Louvre, organizing a subscription among artists and collectors to purchase it for the nation.