For most people, Monet is irresistible, with his breathtaking landscapes and foggy urban paintings. By blurring edges and colours, he made the essence of reality in its totality all the easier to absorb.

There are many excellent introductions to his work, so it is always pleasant to find a book devoted to a particular aspect of his art, or a particular period of his output.

This book of fascinating essays, edited by George M Shackelford, an authority on French art at the time of Monet's early career, concentrates on the early Monet output. However, the pictures of this period are far from juvenalia, including, for example, such masterpieces as Dejeuner sur l'Herbe and The Green Wave.

His friends and rivals (if one could ever imagine Monet having a rival), also feature: Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley, for example.

With its lavish illustrations, this is well worth repeated reads and views.

'Monet The Early Years' by George T.M. Shackelford with essays by Anthea Callen, Mary Dailey Desmarais, Richard Shiff, and Richard Thomson is the companion catalog for an exhibit of works by Monet that was at the Kimbell Art Museum and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco during late 2016 to mid-2017.

The essays in this book talk about the early techniques that Monet used. There is one devoted to the light used in Luncheon on the Grass. There is one that talks about compositional techniques. Monet was influenced by the painters around him, but he also went further in many ways.

The catalogue has information about where Monet was living and working during the creation of the paintings. There are also works by contemporaries throughout the book showing similar vistas from other eyes and brushes.

I enjoyed reading about this part of Monet's life, and I enjoyed getting to view the paintings that were in this exhibit.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Yale University Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I'm not a art lover but I enjoy this book so much! Very interesting and well written.

This book is a collection of articles to accompany the exhibit. The articles follow the early years of Monet and the paintings he did during that time. I enjoyed reading the book and did learn a few new things. Illustrations accompany the text. You do not need to attend the exhibit to enjoy reading this art history and criticism about some of Monet's lesser known paintings.

A fantastic exhibit guide to go along with a fantastic exhibit. The paintings are lovingly rendered in beautiful color, and the text helps to expand on the viewer's understanding of both the individual paintings, but also Monet's life and travels, and how those affected his artwork.

I loved seeing some of the earlier works of one of my favorite artists. This would make a great coffee table book to share with company!