Claude Monet 2009 Calendar. Monet was born in November 1840 in Paris and originally, his father wanted him to go into the family grocery store business, but Claude Monet wanted to become an artist. Whilst attending the Le Havre secondary school he became known locally for his charcoal caricatures, which he would sell for ten to twenty francs. At 16 years old, he left school and disillusioned with the traditional art taught at universities, he joined the studio of Charles Gleyre in Paris in 1862. This is where he met Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille, and Alfred Sisley. Together they shared new approaches to art, which later came to be known as Impressionism, featuring open spaces and light painted with thick brushstrokes. This classic square wall calendar features some of Monet's best work for which he is world renowned.