OIL PAINTING: The Promenade at Argenteuil, 1872
Monet usually "primed" or covered his canvas with a layer of warm gray or light tan first and then painted his subject in the short, bold brushstrokes typical of Impressionism. The scene is composed of restful, horizontal elements - the water, the island with trees, and clouds. Monet arranged these elements in a series of planes to create depth. The plane closest to us is lacking of strollers or onlookers; a second plane behind it has little figures, a steaming chimney, and a boathouse; the last and most distant is the horizon.