Édouard Manet
Today, we continue our special month with the Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek collections with this stunning piece of French Impressionism, produced by the genial Édouard Manet. Enjoy!
Manet painted this picture in the bright light of a sunny summer's day and depicted Monet doing the same on board of his small boat. Seemingly at random, his gaze has captured the boat, his friend and his friend's wife, the glittering water, shore, boats, and a strip of sky in soft blue—the painting style is loose and sketch-like. This looseness of brushstroke, combined with the bright light, the vibrant colors, and the curved shape of the boat with its awning, lends the picture a cheerful character, which is also shared by the sitter in his summery clothing. At the same time, however, Manet's portrayal is able to convey Monet's concentration while painting by having him look at his work in full profile against the blue background of the cabin wall.
In the summer of 1874, a number of Impressionists had gathered in Argenteuil, including Gustave Caillebotte, Alfred Sisley, and Auguste Renoir. Manet had brought Claude Monet, whom he occasionally supported financially, to the small town on the Seine north of Paris in 1871. In 1874, he visited him several times from Gennevilliers, on the other bank of the Seine; he also painted the Monet family in the garden at the same time as Renoir.
P.S. If you would like to learn more about the Impressionist group and their relationships with each other, enroll in our online course on French Impressionism. in addition, in our beautiful Impressionists Notebook, you will find reproductions of their best artworks! : )
P.P.S. Édouard Manet and the Impressionists seem to have loved boats as it was a popular theme in their art. They were seen as a modern leisure activity, something the Impressionists loved! Let's take a closer look at Manet's Boating.