How do you study an art style? How do you learn a specific art style? How do you analyze art styles? How do you find your art style?

In this Style Study Session, we will use the 6 qualities of style to not only better understand the artist we study but also to apply these ideas to better develop your own unique style in your art.

For today’s Study Session, I chose an artist whose work has defined an entire movement and continues to captivate audiences: Claude Monet.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If YOU want to choose an artist for me to study (living or dead), be sure to comment the name of the artist in the comments below so I can use your feedback for a future Art Style Study Session!

Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie. Here on Artist Strong, I help self-taught artists with home studios who feel stuck with their art move from wondering what’s next to confidently expressing themselves through unique, original art. To date, thousands have joined the community.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If you feel like gaps in your learning hold you back from making your best art, sign up and watch my workshop, “How to Create Art from Your Imagination.” It’s completely free, and the link is in the description below.

Now, let’s jump into today’s Style Study Session.

I mentioned at the beginning that we will use the 6 qualities of style to discuss the work, but how do you define style and what are these 6 qualities? I have a full video on that I’ve linked for you here and below, but let’s have a short primer:

Style is the unique way in which an artist shares their voice in their art. People often see someone’s work and recognize it as theirs because of their style. It has six qualities, which include:

1. Elements and principles of art
2. Medium and materials
3. Genre
4. Theme
5. Influence
6. Personal experience

We will use these 6 qualities to briefly review an artist and their work to help you better identify artistic decisions other artists make so you can also better recognize the decisions you make as an artist. 

While you can create a unique style without consciously working with the qualities of style, it will be easier and faster to work with them to help you make decisions that align with the vision you have for your art.

Let’s begin.

Elements and Principles of Art 

The elements of art are your foundational tools that you use to create all art. They include: line, value, color, texture, shape, form, space. You use the elements every time you make art even if you aren’t thinking about it. 

The principles of art are created by your use of the elements of art. They include: balance, emphasis, contrast, pattern, rhythm, movement, proportion, unity and variety. They are experiential states that can be part of how we communicate ideas and messages in our art.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽I have a great little ebook all about working with the elements and principles of art called ArtSpeak that you can grab using the link below.

Monet’s approach to elements like color and light are revolutionary. His use of short, loose brushstrokes to capture the effects of light on a scene is one of his most recognizable techniques. 

This Impressionistic method allows colors to blend optically rather than being mixed on the palette. His work often lacks defined lines, instead using patches of color to create form and depth, which contributes to the soft, atmospheric quality of his paintings. His palette was vibrant and full of contrasting yet harmonious colors, reflecting the natural world he sought to depict.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 I’m curious, what other elements or principles of art do YOU see showing up as a focus in Monet’s work? Tell me more in the comments below.

Medium and Materials 

Monet primarily worked with oil paints, often en plein air (outdoors) to capture natural light and atmosphere. He used a range of colors, including cadmium yellow, cobalt blue, viridian, and various earth tones. 

Monet preferred working on a large scale, and he would sometimes work on multiple canvases simultaneously to capture the changing light and weather conditions. His use of scumbling, layering and glazing techniques added depth and luminosity to his work, creating the shimmering, almost ethereal quality that defines many of his paintings.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽How is your medium important to your work? For me, it’s recently been about immediacy and the need for easy accessibility, which has led to colored pencils and embroidery. Tell me more about your choices in the comments below.

Genre 

Monet is often seen as the father of Impressionism, a genre focused on capturing moments of light and atmosphere rather than detailed, realistic depictions. Many argue this movement was born in part from the invention of the camera; now that technology could capture a moment in time, what purpose did an artist have? And what could art now become? His work primarily includes landscapes, seascapes, and scenes of urban life, but always with an emphasis on the changing effects of light and color. 

Monet’s genre work is deeply tied to his environment—whether it’s his famous garden at Giverny, the bustling streets of Paris, or the serene waters of the Seine.

Theme 

Monet’s work revolves around themes of nature, light, and reflection. His series paintings, such as the Water Lilies, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral, explore the same subject under different lighting conditions, times of day, and seasons, emphasizing the fleeting and ever-changing qualities of light and atmosphere. These themes are a reflection of his deep connection to the natural world and his desire to capture its transient beauty.

Influence 

Monet was influenced by many sources, including the Barbizon school, which emphasized painting directly from nature. Japanese art, particularly woodblock prints, also had a significant impact on his composition and approach to color. Monet’s relationships with other artists like Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley helped shape his style, pushing him towards the Impressionistic approach that would define his work. His later years were marked by a more abstract approach, as seen in his Water Lilies series, which foreshadowed modern art movements like Abstract Expressionism.

In Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon*, he briefly mentions something he coined “mapping your artist family tree.” By looking at the inspirations of the artists you study, you can learn more about what draws you to their work and what elements you wish to explore more in yours.

If you are drawn to Monet’s work, doing studies of Japanese woodblocks and the work of his peers is a natural extension of your exploration, because these influences helped lead Money to his unique style.

Personal Experience 

Monet’s personal experiences deeply shaped his art. His fascination with light and water reflects his lifelong love of nature and his experiences living in places like Giverny, where he cultivated his famous garden. The death of his wife and the impact of cataracts on his vision in his later years brought a darker, more introspective tone to his work, particularly in his later Water Lilies series. His paintings are not just depictions of the world but are deeply connected to his emotional and sensory experiences.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽You don’t have to share if its too personal, but I encourage you to pause here and do some reflecting on your own journey and how it’s impacting the art you are interested in and choose to create.

For me, I received a lot of positive feedback growing up about being able to draw and paint realistically. I was thirsty for approval and validation and I am sure this fueled my desire to pursue art that often represents reality. It’s been a big and vulnerable switch to start a community based project that uses embroidery and digital art as its mediums.

Understanding our mindset and the way we were raised and socialized to think about our art is the most important thing we can do to unleash the unique voice within us.

How to Apply This to Your Art 

Creating art in the style of other artists, or copying their works to understand techniques, is a great way to develop skill and confidence. You could choose a painting of Monet’s to study or explore how he applied color to capture light and atmosphere. When you study an artist and their style, it’s important to consider their color palette as well as the actual technique of how they applied paint to their surface (and even consider the kinds of substrates they worked on).

Doing studies of many artists and integrating the techniques that most resonate with you and your artistic goals (again, look at the 6 qualities of style to help you decide this) are what help bring your unique style to life.

I’ve also created that opportunity for you…

I have a brand new art experience that opens Tuesday after this video goes live. If you like Monet and wish to study his approach to art, join me and Paint Like Monet in my armchair travel art experience called Embark on Art: Paris.

Inside Embark on Art: Paris we suspend our disbelief and go on an virtual trip to explore the city of Paris. Each day of our itinerary includes creative prompts, short demonstrations paired with video and visuals to create art inspired by our explorations. The main event is our day trip to Giverny, the home of Claude Monet. Together we will paint Grainstacks at Sunset.

And the good news is this program, at least as of this recording, is only 67 USD. If you want to learn more and sign up to be the first to access the course when it opens on the 20th, use the link below to read about the 4 day itinerary, our Paint Like Monet artist study, and more.

Monet is an excellent example of how an artist’s style can evolve over time, yet still retain a distinct voice. As you grow in your art, the connections between your pieces will deepen as you develop a better understanding of the qualities of style and more consciously use them in your work.

Don’t let the messaging that you have to stick to one style forever stop you from making your art. As we continue this series, you will see most artists have NOT stuck with one style and evolve. 

What would it look like if you felt full permission to explore all the techniques and ideas waiting to burst out of you?

If you enjoyed today’s video, Please like and subscribe to Artist Strong to support this work. It truly helps more than you know! Then before you go

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽Tell me → what’s one thing you’ve learned about style today that can help your art?

Thank you so much for watching and remember:

Proudly call yourself an artist.

Together, we are Artist Strong.

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