Boating

Manet painted several boating subjects in 1874, including this one. Boating exemplifies in its concision the lessons Manet learned from Japanese prints, and the abrupt cropping by the frame of the boat and sail adds to the immediacy of the image. The painting was created at a time when the artist had refused to participate in the independent exhibition organized by the group of his friends dubbed the Impressionists. It is clear that "Boating" is the manifesto of Manet's new allegiance to the movement.