The Monet Family in Their Garden at Argenteuil

Manet spent much of the summer of 1874 at his family's house in Gennevilliers. Just across the Seine River was Claude Monet, a founder of the Impressionist movement and its most prolific and dedicated practitioner. The two saw each other frequently that summer, sometimes joined by fellow painter Auguste Renoir. From the setting above sprang three paintings. While Manet painted Madame Monet and her son, Monet painted Manet at his easel. Later, Renoir joined the painting party and painted Madame Monet and her son.