Boating became fashionable from 1830 in the Ile de France
region. Racing boats competed at Argenteuil from 1850 because
the Seine widened out into a basin which provided the broadest
stretch of water in the Paris region. Linked to Paris by train,
Argenteuil attracted many competitors and on Sundays crowds of
people came to stroll by the river and watch the races. Claude
Monet lived and worked at Argenteuil from December 1871 to 1878
and half of the 170 canvases he painted during this period show
the banks of the Seine. Two years before the Impressionist
movement officially came into existence, Monet painted this
scene which has all its features, in particular the famous
fragmented brushstroke. Regattas at Argenteuil was painted in
natural light, because tin tubes and portable easels allowed
artists to leave their studios and paint outside. Monet sought
to capture the fluidity of air and water and the way they
changed with the light. He explained what he was trying to do:
"I want to do something intangible. It