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Regatta At Argenteuil by Monet
Regatta at ArgenteuilOil on canvas, 1875
The exact date of Regatta at Argenteuil has never been established. Monet painted boats and yachts throughout his seven years in Argenteuil, and some believe Regatta at Argenteuil dates from as early as 1872. Here the boats are preparing to set off from the landing stage on the Petit-Genevilliers bank. It is possible that the yachtsmen are Gustave Caillebotte and his friends, since it is his house that can be seen behind the trees. The wealthy engineer loved sailing and built his own racing boats. He had links with the Impressionist group through Degas, who was impressed enough with his painting to offer advice and encouragement. Living in the little village of Petit-Genevilliers, right opposite Argenteuil, it was inevitable that he should associate with Claude Monet, and during the black years of the seventies he took over the role of Maecenas assumed in a previous decade by Frédéric Bazille. There are innumerable letters from Monet begging for his help. With uncharacteristic loyalty Monet sprang to Caillebotte’s defence when Pissarro and Gauguin wanted him removed from the group. Announcing firmly that Caillebotte was his friend, he succeeded in imposing his will on the rest. Although Caillbotte’s auvre amounts to some 300 pictures and is by no means negligible, his principal contribution to Impressionism lay in the bequest of his collection to the state in 1894. The Museums Commission in charge of acquisitions were caught in a classic conflict of interest. They did not dare turn Caillebotte down flat, but in the other hand they feared the reaction of the academic painters if they accepted his gift. Their compromise was to accept half of the legacy – 38 paintings out of 67. Monet fared better than most as 8 out of 16 of his works were taken, among them Regatta at Argenteuil. Own An Original Re-Creation
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Hand-painted in oils by a professional artist
