Edouard MANET
French 1832-1883
The house at Rueil
1882
oil on canvas
92.8 x 73.5 cm
Felton Bequest 1926
2050-3

It is difficult to imagine that Manet was ill when he painted this work, indeed he died within a year of completing it. It is the facade of a house at Rueil, just outside Paris, in which he stayed for the summer of 1882. He was there to recover from illness and he was morose and despondent.

Despite his difficulties, Manet wished his time in Rueil to be productive and in his letters he complained that bad weather restricted his painting activity, particularly out of doors. However, this painting and others from the same time, do not reflect emotional or physical disparity.

The size of the canvas is quite large compared with others he painted, implying that his ambition and means to execute substantial work had not diminished. It is also signed and dated, indicating that he considered the work finished. The paint is handled with astonishing exuberance and energy, especially in the grassy clumps beneath the tree, in the foliage and in the curving pathway. The light is shimmering and bright and the view is charged with vitality and life. .