MONET, Claude
(b. 1840, Paris, d. 1926, Giverny)

A Field of Poppies

1873
Oil on canvas, 50 x 65 cm
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Two women, accompanied by their children, are walking through the tall grass in a field full of poppies. Their fashionable hats and the parasols indicate that they are from the city and have come to take a restful walk in the country.

Monet showed this small picture at the first group exhibition held by the Impressionists in 1874. The picture is clear evidence of the Impressionist's preoccupation with the then very modern themes of leisure and relaxation.