Monsieur Coqueret (Father)

Subdued colors, dominated by grays and blues.
An elderly gentleman with a distinguished mustache wears a contemplative expression.

It was 1880.
Claude Monet was at the lowest point of his life.

In September of the previous year, his beloved wife Camille had died of illness.
Monet, with two young children, was on the verge of destitution in the town of Vétheuil.
He wanted to continue his exploration of landscape painting.
However, he didn't even have money to buy paints.

To make a living, he took up his brush.
It was a commission from a local businessman, Narcisse Coqueret.
Coqueret was a shrewd entrepreneur who owned a compass manufacturing factory near Vétheuil.
His order was for a portrait of his own father.

Coqueret fully understood Monet's financial difficulties.
By not only purchasing landscapes but also commissioning portraits of both father and son,
he extended a definite helping hand to the young painter.