The Garden at Vétheuil

The view from the artist’s house shows the garden. A set table in front of an open window was one of Henri Le Sidaner’s favorite motifs, which he varied in around eighty works. Le Sidaner distanced himself from his role model Claude Monet through his use of narrative, the melancholy atmosphere, and muted tones. The view is partially blocked by tree branches and planting rods. Seemingly unarranged, the composition does not adhere to academic rules, giving the scene in Monet’s garden in the Seine village of Vétheuil the modern character of a spontaneous snapshot. It is one of the first pictures by Monet that is devoid of human figures and exclusively devoted to blossoming plants.