Banks of the Seine at Argenteuil by Édouard Manet - 1874 - 62.3 x 87 cm The Courtauld Gallery Banks of the Seine at Argenteuil by Édouard Manet - 1874 - 62.3 x 87 cm The Courtauld Gallery

Banks of the Seine at Argenteuil

Oil on canvas • 62.3 x 87 cm
  • Édouard Manet - 23 January 1832 - 30 April 1883 Édouard Manet 1874

This work is one of Édouard Manet's most vivid experiments in painting outdoors, inspired by the younger Impressionists’ approach. It was created during a summer stay with Claude Monet in the town of Argenteuil, outside Paris. Monet's wife, Camille, and son, Jean, posed for the figures. Lining the other side of the river are barges for washing laundry.

The bright colors and swift brushstrokes creating the ripples on the water show Monet's influence. Manet maintained his distinctive use of thick oil paint and rich blacks, however, to give weight to the painting.