The Artist's House on Argenteuil

In the shadows of a garden in bloom, one of Monet’s children plays with a hoop and the artist’s wife peers out from a doorway. The garden is luscious and in full bloom with trees to the left of the painting, and more cultivated flowers to the right, including a line of flowers in fashionably oriental planters. A climbing plant grows up the face of the pale house which casts a shadow onto the child. The light that hits the left-hand side of the work is warm and bright, as if captured in late afternoon before sunset. The piece is closed off, with the house to the right and trees to the left; the sense of intimacy between the parents and child is reflected in the shut-off, private garden space. Monet has painted from a standing eyeline, making his viewer feel as if we too are standing in the beautiful garden.