Claude Monet executed this painting of the Seine near Argenteuil, northwest of Paris, shortly after his arrival there in 1871—likely from the small boat he had converted into a floating studio. He included the Château Michelet and other recognizable architectural landmarks. The small, delicate brushstrokes identify this work as belonging to the “high” phase of Impressionism.
The brilliant colors of Monet’s landscape are mirrored in the water below, resulting in a remarkable symmetry that makes it difficult to distinguish between the reflections and their sources.
