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Lot Essay
PAUL HAYES TUCKER INTRODUCES MONET'S YEARS IN ARGENTEUIL AS 'A CLASSIC PHASE OF IMPRESSIONISM, A PERIOD IN WHICH MONET DEVELOPED A FORMAL VOCABULARY OF HEIGHTENED COLOR AND BROKEN BRUSHWORK WHICH HE WEDDED WITH DYNAMIC COMPOSITIONS AND MODERN SUBJECTS. WHILE MANTAINING HIS CONCERNS IN THE 1860S AS A MODERN LANDSCAPE PAINTER, MONET PURSUED WITH EVEN GREATER VIGOR THE FLEETING EFFECTS OF NATURE AND THE VAGARIES OF VISUAL SENSATION' (OP. CIT., P. I).
IT WAS IN ARGENTEUIL - LOCATED JUST DOWN THE SEINE FROM SAINT-DENIS, WHERE THE RIVER LOOPS FOR A SECOND TIME ON ITS COURSE NORTH FROM PARIS TO THE CHANNEL - THAT MONET SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THE DECADE BETWEEN 1871 TO 1878. IT WAS HERE THAT MANY OF HIS GREATEST IMPRESSIONIST CANVASES WERE PAINTED. ARGENTEUIL WAS A PICTURESQUE SUBURBAN TOWN, WELL KNOWN IN THE 19TH CENTURY AS AN AGRéABLE PETITE VILLE, WHICH HAD BECOME, BY THE MID 1850S, A FASHIONABLE PLACE FOR SUNDAY OUTINGS AND PLEASURE BOATING, YACHTING HAVING BECOME A POPULAR PASTIME FOR MIDDLE CLASS PARISIANS MORE USED TO CITY LIFE. 'STRETCHING ALONG THE RIGHT BANK OF THE RIVER ON A SITE THAT GRADUALLY SLOPES UP TO MEET A SERIES OF ROLLING HILLS TO THE NORTH, THE GRACIOUS LITTLE TOWN WAS CRISSCROSSED BY NUMEROUS WINDING STREETS, ENCIRCLED BY FIELDS AND PROMENADES, AND CROWNED BY THE SPIRE OF THE PARISH CHURCH. IT WAS BORDERED ON THE SOUTH BY THE RIVER AND LINKED TO THE VILLAGE OF GENNEVILLIERS AND TO PARIS BY TWO BRIDGES, ONE FOR COACHES AND PEDESTRIANS AND ANOTHER FOR THE RAILROAD' (IBIDEM, P. 9). ARGENTEUIL, HOWEVER, WAS NOT ONLY THE IDYLLIC LIEU DE LOISIR OF THE PARISIANS, BUT WAS ALSO DEVELOPING INTO AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL AREA. IN HIS BEST PAINTINGS FROM THE BANKS OF THE RIVER, MONET WAS CAPABLE OF CAPTURING THE DOUBLE NATURE OF ARGENTEUIL; THE SERENE, BUCOLIC ATMOSPHERE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE ALONG THE SEINE, AND THE ACTIVITY OF THE NEW BOURG INDUSTRIEL, WITH ITS FACTORY SHEDS AND SMOKING CHIMNEYS, CAST AGAIN A DRAMATIC, ATLANTIC SKY.
AT THE END OF 1871, MONET WISHED TO SETTLE PERMANENTLY IN OR NEAR TO PARIS. WHEN MANET FOUND OUT THAT HIS COLLEAGUE WAS LOOKING FOR A HOUSE, HE SPOKE TO HIS FRIENDS, THE AUBRY FAMILY, WHO OWNED EXTENSIVE PROPERTY IN THE SUBURBS. THE WIDOW OF LOUIS-EUGèNE AUBRY, WHO HAD BEEN A NOTARY IN PARIS AND THE MAYOR OF ARGENTEUIL, AGREED TO LET ONE OF HER HOUSES IN ARGENTEUIL TO MONET FOR AN ANNUAL RENT OF 1,000 FRANCS. ON 21 DECEMBER 1871, MONET WROTE TO PISSARRO THAT HE WAS READY TO MOVE TO ARGENTEUIL; ON 2 JANUARY 1872, MONET ORGANISED A FESTIVE HOUSE-WARMING, WHICH IS RECORDED IN A LETTER TO BOUDIN, WHO ATTENDED THE EVENT. THE AUBRY HOUSE WAS PERFECTLY LOCATED NEAR ARGENTEUIL STATION, ON THE EDGE OF THE OLD TOWN AND CLOSE TO THE SEINE.
AS SOON AS HE SETTLED IN ARGENTEUIL, MONET STARTED HIS QUEST FOR NEW PICTORIAL MOTIFS. SINCE THE BEGINNING, HE WAS DEEPLY INSPIRED BY THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE TREE-LINED PROMENADE ON THE SEINE, ENDING WITH THE LITTLE TURRET OF A MOCK-LOUIS XII MANOR HOUSE, FLANKED BY A FACTORY CHIMNEY, WHICH OFTEN MARKS THE CENTRE OF HIS EARLY PAINTINGS. THE TWO BRIDGES ACROSS THE SEINE WERE BOTH DESTROYED BY THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR IN SEPTEMBER 1870, AND WERE RAPIDLY REBUILT (FIG. 4).
THE SMALL TOWN STRONGLY INSPIRED THE YOUNG ARTIST, WHO, AT THE BEGINNING OF 1872, BEGAN ONE OF THE MOST ENERGETIC AND INSPIRED PHASES OF HIS CAREER. IN MARCH 1872, PROBABLY URGED ON BY HIS BROTHER LéON, HE TOOK PART IN THE 23RD ROUEN MUNICIPAL EXHIBITION. ON HIS RETURN FROM ROUEN, HE FOUND ARGENTEUIL TRANSFORMED BY THE EARLY SUMMER. HE SET HIS EASEL ON THE RIGHT BANK, THE ARGENTEUIL SIDE, FOCUSSING ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE AND THE ILE MARANTE. HE PAINTED FOUR MAGNIFICENT VIEWS FROM ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT ON THE RIGHT BANK DURING THE SUMMER, LOOKING DOWNSTREAM. EACH OF THEM IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF THE LIGHT EFFECTS, THE WEATHER AND THE TIME OF DAY. THE PRESENT PICTURE, WITH ITS COOL LIGHT, BEAUTIFUL REFLECTIONS IN THE CRYSTAL WATER AND THE EXTRAORDINARY EXPANSIVE SKY IS PERHAPS THE MOST SERENE OF THEM ALL. ITS LIGHT EFFECT IS EXTREMELY TRANQUIL AND THE PAINTING EXUDES AN EXTRAORDINARY SENSE OF TIMELESSNESS. IN CONTRAST, THE PAINTING CLOSEST TO THE PRESENT WORK AND SIMILARLY TITLED LA PROMENADE D'ARGENTEUIL (W. 223: FIG. 3) HAS A FAR LESS DRAMATIC SKY BUT IS BATHED IN GOLDEN SUNLIGHT. SOMEWHAT SMALLER THAN THE PRESENT PICTURE, THE PAINTING WAS BEQUEATHED TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON IN 1970 BY MRS AILSA MELLON BRUCE OF NEW YORK.
IT WAS IN ARGENTEUIL - LOCATED JUST DOWN THE SEINE FROM SAINT-DENIS, WHERE THE RIVER LOOPS FOR A SECOND TIME ON ITS COURSE NORTH FROM PARIS TO THE CHANNEL - THAT MONET SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THE DECADE BETWEEN 1871 TO 1878. IT WAS HERE THAT MANY OF HIS GREATEST IMPRESSIONIST CANVASES WERE PAINTED. ARGENTEUIL WAS A PICTURESQUE SUBURBAN TOWN, WELL KNOWN IN THE 19TH CENTURY AS AN AGRéABLE PETITE VILLE, WHICH HAD BECOME, BY THE MID 1850S, A FASHIONABLE PLACE FOR SUNDAY OUTINGS AND PLEASURE BOATING, YACHTING HAVING BECOME A POPULAR PASTIME FOR MIDDLE CLASS PARISIANS MORE USED TO CITY LIFE. 'STRETCHING ALONG THE RIGHT BANK OF THE RIVER ON A SITE THAT GRADUALLY SLOPES UP TO MEET A SERIES OF ROLLING HILLS TO THE NORTH, THE GRACIOUS LITTLE TOWN WAS CRISSCROSSED BY NUMEROUS WINDING STREETS, ENCIRCLED BY FIELDS AND PROMENADES, AND CROWNED BY THE SPIRE OF THE PARISH CHURCH. IT WAS BORDERED ON THE SOUTH BY THE RIVER AND LINKED TO THE VILLAGE OF GENNEVILLIERS AND TO PARIS BY TWO BRIDGES, ONE FOR COACHES AND PEDESTRIANS AND ANOTHER FOR THE RAILROAD' (IBIDEM, P. 9). ARGENTEUIL, HOWEVER, WAS NOT ONLY THE IDYLLIC LIEU DE LOISIR OF THE PARISIANS, BUT WAS ALSO DEVELOPING INTO AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL AREA. IN HIS BEST PAINTINGS FROM THE BANKS OF THE RIVER, MONET WAS CAPABLE OF CAPTURING THE DOUBLE NATURE OF ARGENTEUIL; THE SERENE, BUCOLIC ATMOSPHERE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE ALONG THE SEINE, AND THE ACTIVITY OF THE NEW BOURG INDUSTRIEL, WITH ITS FACTORY SHEDS AND SMOKING CHIMNEYS, CAST AGAIN A DRAMATIC, ATLANTIC SKY.
AT THE END OF 1871, MONET WISHED TO SETTLE PERMANENTLY IN OR NEAR TO PARIS. WHEN MANET FOUND OUT THAT HIS COLLEAGUE WAS LOOKING FOR A HOUSE, HE SPOKE TO HIS FRIENDS, THE AUBRY FAMILY, WHO OWNED EXTENSIVE PROPERTY IN THE SUBURBS. THE WIDOW OF LOUIS-EUGèNE AUBRY, WHO HAD BEEN A NOTARY IN PARIS AND THE MAYOR OF ARGENTEUIL, AGREED TO LET ONE OF HER HOUSES IN ARGENTEUIL TO MONET FOR AN ANNUAL RENT OF 1,000 FRANCS. ON 21 DECEMBER 1871, MONET WROTE TO PISSARRO THAT HE WAS READY TO MOVE TO ARGENTEUIL; ON 2 JANUARY 1872, MONET ORGANISED A FESTIVE HOUSE-WARMING, WHICH IS RECORDED IN A LETTER TO BOUDIN, WHO ATTENDED THE EVENT. THE AUBRY HOUSE WAS PERFECTLY LOCATED NEAR ARGENTEUIL STATION, ON THE EDGE OF THE OLD TOWN AND CLOSE TO THE SEINE.
AS SOON AS HE SETTLED IN ARGENTEUIL, MONET STARTED HIS QUEST FOR NEW PICTORIAL MOTIFS. SINCE THE BEGINNING, HE WAS DEEPLY INSPIRED BY THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE TREE-LINED PROMENADE ON THE SEINE, ENDING WITH THE LITTLE TURRET OF A MOCK-LOUIS XII MANOR HOUSE, FLANKED BY A FACTORY CHIMNEY, WHICH OFTEN MARKS THE CENTRE OF HIS EARLY PAINTINGS. THE TWO BRIDGES ACROSS THE SEINE WERE BOTH DESTROYED BY THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR IN SEPTEMBER 1870, AND WERE RAPIDLY REBUILT (FIG. 4).
THE SMALL TOWN STRONGLY INSPIRED THE YOUNG ARTIST, WHO, AT THE BEGINNING OF 1872, BEGAN ONE OF THE MOST ENERGETIC AND INSPIRED PHASES OF HIS CAREER. IN MARCH 1872, PROBABLY URGED ON BY HIS BROTHER LéON, HE TOOK PART IN THE 23RD ROUEN MUNICIPAL EXHIBITION. ON HIS RETURN FROM ROUEN, HE FOUND ARGENTEUIL TRANSFORMED BY THE EARLY SUMMER. HE SET HIS EASEL ON THE RIGHT BANK, THE ARGENTEUIL SIDE, FOCUSSING ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE AND THE ILE MARANTE. HE PAINTED FOUR MAGNIFICENT VIEWS FROM ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT ON THE RIGHT BANK DURING THE SUMMER, LOOKING DOWNSTREAM. EACH OF THEM IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF THE LIGHT EFFECTS, THE WEATHER AND THE TIME OF DAY. THE PRESENT PICTURE, WITH ITS COOL LIGHT, BEAUTIFUL REFLECTIONS IN THE CRYSTAL WATER AND THE EXTRAORDINARY EXPANSIVE SKY IS PERHAPS THE MOST SERENE OF THEM ALL. ITS LIGHT EFFECT IS EXTREMELY TRANQUIL AND THE PAINTING EXUDES AN EXTRAORDINARY SENSE OF TIMELESSNESS. IN CONTRAST, THE PAINTING CLOSEST TO THE PRESENT WORK AND SIMILARLY TITLED LA PROMENADE D'ARGENTEUIL (W. 223: FIG. 3) HAS A FAR LESS DRAMATIC SKY BUT IS BATHED IN GOLDEN SUNLIGHT. SOMEWHAT SMALLER THAN THE PRESENT PICTURE, THE PAINTING WAS BEQUEATHED TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON IN 1970 BY MRS AILSA MELLON BRUCE OF NEW YORK.