The Monet Family in Their Garden at Argenteuil

Manet’s special friendship with Monet, and his new desire to paint from nature, came together in the picture The Monet Family in Their Garden. Monet recounted what happened that day in his Argenteuil garden. Renoir appeared, and, attracted by the atmosphere, decided to paint the same subject, Camille Monet and her Son in Their Garden. It is interesting to compare the two works painted that day. We see that, though influenced by his juniors, Manet remained Manet. His painting seems both more carefully thought out and more ambitious than Renoir’s, and, though he breaks new ground in his brushstrokes and variety of colours, he remains allusive, lacking the spontaneity shown by Renoir. But then, Renoir was practiced at this kind of painting, whereas Manet was the beginner.