Boating

About this artwork

**Boating**, painted by Édouard Manet in 1874, captures a sun-drenched moment of bourgeois leisure on a sailboat gliding through shimmering waters. A fashionably dressed woman reclines in pale blue against the boat's bold blue interior, while a bearded man in a blue jacket and straw boater grips the tiller. Created during a summer stay in Argenteuil alongside Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the scene reflects the Impressionists' fascination with modern life, outdoor recreation, and fleeting light effects. Manet's oil-on-canvas masterpiece employs striking diagonal lines and flat planes of vibrant color, echoing Japanese prints while nodding to his Impressionist peers' lighter palettes and loose, reflective brushstrokes on the water. Exhibited at the 1879 Salon, it bridges his realist roots with avant-garde innovation, marking a pivotal synthesis in modern art history. Renowned artist Mary Cassatt hailed *Boating* as "the last word in painting" and urged collectors H.O. and Louisine Havemeyer to acquire it—now a gem in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings collection. At 38¼ × 51¼ inches, this work invites visitors to savor Manet's masterful blend of tradition and modernity.