| Description |
The Argenteuil Bridge
Le Pont d'Argenteuil
Claude Monet - 1874
Description of Original Painting: Oil on canvas
In 1874, the year of the first Impressionist exhibition, Claude Monet painted the Argenteuil Bridge seven times, and the railway bridge which spans the Seine upstream from the village, four times. This shows how attached the artist was to the motif, using the flowing river as a counterpoint for the geometrical mass of the bridge and its piles reflected in the water.
Here the foreground is filled with sailboats at their mooring. The effects of light on the masts and on the roofs of the houses on the bank in the background are an opportunity for the play of complementary colours (orange and blue) which accentuate the glittering light.
The Argenteuil Bridge exhibits great variety in treatment: the still firm outlines of the solid or structured elements, such as the sailboats and the bridge, a smooth, even texture for the water in the foreground, and choppy brushstrokes capturing the reflections in the middle ground.
History:
from 1874 to 1906 in the collection of Jean-Baptiste Faure (probably acquired by the artist in June)
in 1906, in Durand-Ruel Collection, Paris (acquired June 11 and sold the same day Antonin Personnaz)
from 1906 to 1937 in the collection Antonin Personnaz
1937, accepted by the state as a legacy of Antonin Personnaz National Museums for the Louvre
1937, assigned to the Louvre, Paris
from 1937 to 1947, Musée du Louvre, Paris
from 1947 to 1954, the Louvre, the Jeu de Paume gallery in Paris
from 1954 to 1967, Musée du Louvre, Paris
from 1967 to 1986, the Louvre, the Jeu de Paume gallery in Paris
1986, assigned to the Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
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