Boating

Manet painted this boating scene at Argenteuil in 1874. Freer handling meets broad colour areas and diagonals associated with Japanese prints. Mary Cassatt later recommended it to the Havemeyers, collectors who helped bring French painting to American audiences.

The straw-hatted man sits farther inside the boat. Pale clothing and his lit face stand out against saturated blue.

The woman appears in profile beneath a decorated hat. Her gaze extends beyond the painting, leaving the activity open to observation.

The blue-and-white striped dress fills the foreground. Its broad patterned surface connects clothing with the painting’s overall colour arrangement.

A spar and rope cross the upper right. Strong diagonals convey the boat’s confined space.

Short horizontal strokes cross the blue water. It remains a broad colour area while describing moving reflections.

Cassatt helped American collectors choose contemporary French painting. This work’s history shows that recognition also depended on personal recommendations, acquisitions and paintings travelling between countries.