Boy in Flowers (Jacques Hoschedé)

During the summer of 1876 Manet visited the small village of Montgeron in the province of Seine-et-Oise to the east of Paris upon the invitation of a patron of the Impressionists, the businessman Ernest Hoschedé. (Hoschedé's wife Alice later became Monet's second wife). During his two week visit Manet painted this and several other works to decorate the Hoschedé country home. However, Manet returned to Paris with works unfinished and they remained in his studio until his death in 1883. This work shows Jacques, the oldest son among Hoschedé's six children, in the flower garden of the Hoschedé home. The painting also shows a decorative vase that appears occasionally in other works by Manet. During this period Manet abandoned his 1860s painting style with its heavy use of black and its flat application of color, and began to use a brighter palette and livelier brushwork under the influence of the Impressionists, particularly Monet. He painted scenes from "modern life" under bright outdoor light and the formal and subject characteristics of this work confirm the style of his 1870s work. The decorative composition also suggests the influence of Japanese art, particularly that of the Rimpa school. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no.68)