Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood

John Singer Sargent was an American painter, born in Florence in 1856, who trained in Paris and became one of the most sought-after portrait painters of his era. He first met Claude Monet in 1876, but the two were closest about ten years later. This picture probably comes from a visit to Monet at Giverny, the village northwest of Paris where Monet had recently settled. Sargent admired the way Monet painted outdoors, directly in front of his subject, and copied some of his subjects and methods in quick studies like this one. It is one of Sargent's first attempts to paint in the Impressionist way, using loose brushwork to catch light as it changed. The woman nearby is identified as Alice Hoschedé, who later became Monet's second wife. Sargent soon settled in London, where he became best known for his stylish society portraits. After his death, his sisters gave this painting to Britain's national collection.