Les Bateaux Rouges

Claude Monet - Les Bateaux Rouges (31.5 in x 23.5 in)

During the 1870s, Monet lived and painted extensively in Argenteuil, a town situated northwest of Paris along the Seine River. This period was pivotal for the Impressionist movement. Monet and his contemporaries sought to break away from rigid academic traditions, preferring en plein air (outdoor) painting to quickly capture the fleeting qualities of natural light and atmosphere

Interestingly, while Argenteuil was rapidly industrializing at the time, Monet deliberately curated his compositions. He chose to focus on idyllic, harmonious scenes of leisure and nature, omitting signs of river pollution or the disarray of local industry.