Considering one of the founders of impressionism, E. Manet did not finally accept his theoretical attitudes.
Summer 1874, the artist is in Arzhantey – “the small capital of impressionism.” Working alongside C. Monet and P.-O. Renoir, the craftsmen who liked to work in the open air, Manet also enjoys creating a picture in the air, conveying the charm of the moment in which the environment and people are a single whole.
The work “In the Boat” turned out to be light, festive, in it Manet departs from the traditions of Spanish painting, which presupposes the presence of a dark color.
Representing a man, Manet invited him to pose for his brother-in-law, Rudolf Leenhoff, also an artist. Who assisted in the role of a woman is not known for certain, but presumably this is C. Monet’s first wife, Camilla Donsier.
At the Paris Salon of 1879, the work was acquired by a French collector, then after resale, the picture went overseas, and is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
