“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand,” said Claude Monet, that master of Impressionism, “as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.” Monet died in 1926 and we are still trying to understand how his brushwork and use of color created such poetry. Bostonians have a particular affinity with Monet, and over the years this has translated to a major collection of his paintings. For the MFA’s 150th anniversary, 35 Monets are shown together for the first time in 25 years. The paintings—placed for context alongside works by artists Monet admired—include the early Rue de Bavole, Honfleur (c. 1864), his light experiments, and the groundbreaking Grainstacks, Rouen Cathedral, and Water Lilies series. —E.C.