Bazille and Camille (Study for "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe")

Bazille and Camille (Study for "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe") by Claude Monet is a significant oil on canvas work executed in 1865. This piece serves as a preparatory study for the artist's much larger, ultimately unfinished masterpiece, Déjeuner sur l'Herbe. Created during the transitional years of 1851 to 1875, this work captures Monet’s early commitment to depicting contemporary life and outdoor settings, foundational themes for the emerging Impressionist movement.

The composition captures two key figures in the artist's life: his friend and fellow painter Frédéric Bazille, along with the model Camille Doncieux, who would later marry Monet. Monet places the figures casually within a detailed, verdant forest setting. Though classified as a preparatory study, the application of oil on canvas demonstrates a pronounced focus on the effects of light filtering through the trees, creating dappled patterns upon the figures’ clothing and the ground. This early experimentation with light and shadow is characteristic of the concerns that would lead Monet to challenge traditional Academic painting during the mid-19th century.

As an essential example of the artist’s early maturity, this study provides crucial insight into Monet's creative process and compositional planning for the larger, abandoned work. It underscores his ambition to elevate modern, middle-class subjects to the scale traditionally reserved for history painting. Monet, a leading figure in French art history, used such studies to perfect the plein air technique, which was essential to his mature style. The painting is securely housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Because significant pieces from this period often transition into the public domain, high-quality prints remain widely available for researchers and enthusiasts studying the development of French painting.