Claude Monet, 'The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil', 1872

After a year spent in voluntary exile in England and Holland during the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, Monet returned to France late in 1871 and settled in Argenteuil, a small suburban town on the Seine just nine kilometres and a fifteen-minute train journey from Paris. He lived there until 1878 and, like many other Impressionist artists, painted its river views, bridges, street scenes and gardens. Another painting by Monet in the National Gallery, Snow Scene at Argenteuil, shows the town in the depths of winter.

By the 1870s Argenteuil was already partially industrialised – evidence of this can be seen in a number of paintings by Monet, such as Promenade along the Seine of 1872 (National Gallery of Art, Washington), which shows a towpath along the river with smoking factory chimneys in the distance. Ideally placed on the Seine, the town was also famous as a centre for pleasure boating, and Monet was particularly attracted by its regattas and sailing boats.

However, it is not modern life in Argenteuil that is the focus of this picture. Here we see the Petit Bras, a small tributary of the river separated from the Seine by the Ile Marante, a mile downstream from the town. The little island had been a retreat for Parisians from the eighteenth century onward. With only a few scattered buildings, it had an intimacy and tranquillity that were quite different from the bustle of Argenteuil itself. This quiet aspect of life by the river was most appealing to Monet during the early years he spent in the town; later on he concentrated more on the tourist areas.

The viewpoint here is from the left bank of the river, looking west across the Petit Bras to the Ile Marante. But unlike the views Monet painted of this spot looking downstream in the other direction, which feature sailing boats, this picture seems curiously empty and timeless. The only hint of contemporary life is the vaguely defined house behind the screen of trees, which looks like a modern villa rather than a rustic dwelling. Two figures, swiftly sketched in with a few strokes of black paint, are the only human presence; it is not entirely clear what they doing but they could be fishing. This silent river scene is reminiscent of those by Daubigny (such as View on the Oise) and Corot (for example Landscape at Arleux-du-Nord), both of which were painted within a few years of this picture.

The composition here is formal and orderly: the eye is led back into the distance by the diagonal of the poplar trees on the riverbank (a precursor to what would become a signature motif), while the empty foreground and sense of light and air contribute to the overall effect of peace. The foliage and misty atmosphere suggest that this is a winter scene. Muted tones dominated by greys overlaid with mauve create the luminous effect of an overcast sky. Monet used a variety of brushstrokes, ranging from bold horizontal strokes in the foreground and water to light Corot-like feathery touches for the trees. He seems to have been fascinated by the reflections in the water, a theme that preoccupied him throughout his career.