The term 'Impressionism' was originally intended as an insult by an art critic named Louis Leroy. Upon seeing Claude Monet’s painting 'Impression, Sunrise' in 1874, Leroy mockingly called it a mere 'impression' rather than a finished work. Monet and his circle, including Renoir and Pissarro, decided to adopt the term for their movement. Their style broke away from the rigid rules of the French Academy, focusing instead on how light and color changed throughout the day. Monet was particularly obsessed with 'plein air' (outdoor) painting, often painting the same subject multiple times at different hours—most famously his haystacks and the Rouen Cathedral. Later in life, as cataracts clouded his vision, his work became even more abstract and color-focused, culminating in his massive 'Water Lilies' series which he donated to France as a symbol of peace after World War I.