The Seine at Lavacourt

This painting was based on sketches made outdoors and then probably executed within the studio. Monet painted this work according to traditional compositional rules-a strong horizontal axis intersects with the central inverted triangular form made up of the trees and their reflection on the surface of the water. This geometric structure invests the composition with calm and order, complementing the harmonious palette of spring green and delicate shades of blue. There was, perhaps, a practical inspiration for the firm sense of structure in this painting. Monet struggled during these years with his financial straits and attempted to expand his public and market, seeking therefore to "do something more judicious, more bourgeois."