Monet's Impressionist Painting: The Basin at Argenteuil

✍️ Leisure was an important theme in Impressionism, particularly during the rise of the middle and upper-middle classes in Paris.

🎻 Argenteuil was a popular suburb of Paris, known for its recreational activities such as sailing, bathing, picnicking, and strolling along a promenade.

🚌 The 1870s saw an increase in accessibility to places like Argenteuil, thanks to the introduction of the railroad, allowing Parisians to easily visit for day trips or weekend getaways.

🎨 Impressionism is associated with beautiful sunny days and a day in the country.

👫 The painting depicts three figures, with one under a parasol, having a lovely stroll.

🗝️ The figures in the painting are reduced to little touches of paint, but their social and economic class can still be determined.

⭐️ The main subject of the painting is the alternation between light and shadow, creating a sense of transient light.

🖌️ Monet's application of paint gives the artwork a sense of the momentary and captures the physical processes of nature.

🌳 The painting lacks details of trees, leaves, and branches, with the background being just as dark as the foreground.

🎨 Monet's paintings in the 1870s looked unfinished and sketchy, contrary to the expectations of academic painting.

🖌️ Academic painting at the time emphasized a finished look without visible brushstrokes, while Monet embraced and highlighted his brushstrokes.

🌟 Monet's approach to art with visible brushstrokes was considered modern and innovative in 1872.