La Seine À Argenteuil 1877

"La Seine à Argenteuil" captures a view of the Seine, painted by Claude Monet, who lived in Argenteuil in the 1870s. Monet, who was part of the emerging bourgeoisie class, spent his time focused on scenes of leisure. Monet’s paintings were produced during a time when there was growing access to rail travel and increased industrialization, making leisure activities more accessible to the middle class. This work depicts the town of Argenteuil as a site for recreation; strolls along the river, boating, and sailing are all taking place in a single frame. Monet's focus on everyday life and light aimed to reflect a specific moment in time, embracing the immediacy of lived experience. He once said, "I wish I had been born blind and then one day had my sight given to me so that I could see the world anew." Reflecting on this work today, we may consider how access to leisure and nature continues to be shaped by class, and who has the privilege to pause and reflect on the beauty of the world around them.