The Monet family in its garden in Argenteuil

Manet's method in this piece is similar to the other Impressionists of this time period. This oil on canvas painting is characteristic of the Impressionist movement with its methods of short visible brushstrokes, depicting real-life images/landscapes, and its light-capturing qualities. This portrait painting does a great job showing a family enjoying a day of leisure and enjoyment in the summer sun. Monet is painting, which is his pleasure, and his wife and son seem happy to be there to share the experience. Their faces show pleasure and content too.

Manet spent much of the summer of 1874 at his family home in Gennevilliers. Across the Seine River stood Claude Monet, founder of the Impressionist movement and its most prolific and dedicated practitioner. The two saw each other frequently that summer, sometimes accompanied by fellow painter Auguste Renoir. Three paintings emerged from the previous stage. While Manet painted Madame Monet and her son, Monet painted Manet at his easel. Later, Renoir joined the painting party and painted Madame Monet and her son.

Edouard Manet was born in Paris on January 23, 1832, into a wealthy and well-connected family. Her mother, Eugenie-Desiree Fournier, was the goddaughter of the Swedish crown prince, Charles Bernadotte, from whom the current Swedish monarchs are descended. His father, Auguste Manet, was a French judge who hoped Edouard would pursue a career in law. His uncle, Charles Fournier, encouraged him to pursue painting and often took the young Manet to the Louvre. In 1845, following his uncle's advice, Manet enrolled in a special drawing course where he met Antonin Proust, future Minister of Fine Arts, and a later lifelong friend.