Monet, 'Bathers at La Grenouillère', 1869.

This view of La Grenouillère was painted by Monet in the summer of 1869. La Grenouillère ('the frogpond') was a thriving bathing spot within easy travelling distance of Paris. Pleasure seekers flocked there in droves, arriving mainly by train, a recent travel phenomenon. Popular with artists, Le Grenouillère was located on a naturally picturesque bend of the River Seine.

Monet was a key member of the Impressionists group, which he formed along with his contemporaries Renoir, Sisley and Bazille. Scenes from modern urban and suburban life were popular themes for these artists and they often painted out of doors directly in front of their subjects rather than from memory in a studio. The effects of light on water particularly fascinated Monet and this scene provided plenty of things to capture his keen eye.

Monet thrusts us straight into this busy scene, positioning the boats in the bottom half of the painting in a way that makes us feel as if we might be standing in one. This suggests that he may have set up his easel on some sort of floating platform on the river to create this view.

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