I was also there a long time-- in fact, I was back in town the following year and went again. Fabulous! And, I disagree that Monet was merely an "eye"-- in fact, I don't know what that means. If they're trying to say that his work isn't "emotional" then I disagree completely-- to work to capture light as he did displays a passionate love of the beauty of color.
The thing that amazed me the most is that all of Monet's worked seemed to become "clearer" depending on the distance you stood from them. Posters and pictures in books don't do them justice.