The “Impressionist” group was founded in December 1873 as the “Société Anonyme des Artistes” and gather artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, et Guillaumin, and will have their first exhibition at the Studio Nadar in 1874.

One of the group’s favorites subjects would be to capture the panoramic views of the river banks and the transitional reflections of lights on the water and its surrounding environment.

From 1872, Armand Guillaumin focused on depicting scenes in and around the city of Paris, particularly Charenton, where the artist resides. With Paul Cezanne, they often joined Camille Pissarro in Pontoise and painted the Paris suburbs area. 

This painting, painted in 1873, perfectly illustrates the early stages of Impressionist painting and the interest of the artist to capture the essence of its depicted subjects. 

The larger patches of colours used to paint the water, and reminiscent of the work of Manet, are combined with sharpening brushwork to represent the sky’s shimmering effects.

The composition, records the social life and activity happening on the river bank, while arousing a certain nostalgia in the spectator’s vision.