Decoration
Reproductions
FAQ
An everyday scene elevated to the format of history painting.
Le point de départ
Avant toute analyse, ne pas confondre les deux Déjeuners
“Le Déjeuner de Monet” can refer to several works. The most common confusion setsLe Déjeuner sur l’herbe, a vast undertaking begun in 1865, againstLe Déjeuner, painted in 1868–1869 and held at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. Both paintings feature close companions, contemporary clothing, and a shared meal. Yet they share neither the same setting, nor the same narrative, nor the same fate.
The first unfolds in the forest of Fontainebleau, at Chailly-en-Bière. There, Monet wanted to bring together life-size figures, modern fashion, and the play of sunlight filtering through the leaves. The project was to exceed four by six meters and rival the great Salon compositions. It was abandoned before the 1866 exhibition, then damaged after being used as collateral by a property owner. Two large fragments are now held at the Musée d'Orsay; a highly finished sketch is at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.
The second takes us into an interior. Around a table still set with dishes, Monet depicts his family, a guest, and a servant. The subject belongs to private life, but the canvas measures 231.5 × 151.5 cm — a spectacular scale for a domestic scene. Refused by the Salon in 1870, it was shown four years later at the first Impressionist exhibition. The meal is finished or interrupted; the painting itself begins to challenge the hierarchy of genres.
Luncheon on the Grass
A monumental manifesto designed for the Salon: contemporary figures, forest, white tablecloth, and dappled light. The original painting survives only in fragments.
Luncheon
A private scene elevated to the rank of a major public painting. The table and its objects command almost as much attention as the figures.
| Work | Location depicted | Ambition | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe | Forest of Fontainebleau | Combining plein air and life-size figures for the Salon of 1866 | Abandoned project, canvas damaged and later cut; two fragments at the Musée d'Orsay |
| Le Déjeuner | Family interior | Giving everyday life the monumentality of history painting | Rejected at the 1870 Salon, shown at the 1874 Impressionist exhibition |
1865 · Chailly-en-Bière
Répondre à Manet sans le copier
Deux ans avant Monet, Édouard Manet avait bouleversé Paris avec son Déjeuner sur l’herbe. Rejected by the 1863 Salon and presented at the Salon des Refusés under the titleThe Bath, the work combined a nude woman and clothed men in a landscape whose perspective and contrasts puzzled the public. Monet reuses the title, but shifts the challenge. He does not seek the same iconographic scandal: his strollers are dressed, identifiable, and integrated into a country outing.
His ambition is first pictorial. How to paint life-size figures under unstable light? How to preserve the freshness of an outdoor study when the composition becomes immense? Monet prepares his painting through outdoor studies, then builds a very precise sketch in the studio. Frédéric Bazille poses for several male figures; Camille Doncieux, Monet's future wife, also appears in this modern gathering.
The Musée d'Orsay describes the project as both a tribute and a challenge addressed to Manet. But the chosen dimension makes the enterprise difficult and costly. Shadows must cross the dresses and jackets without dissolving the volumes; the greens of the forest must remain luminous; the tablecloth must guide the eye without becoming an empty surface. In 1866, Monet realizes he will not finish in time and abandons the large canvas.
Une œuvre devenue archipel
Fragments, esquisse et mémoire d’un tableau impossible
Le destin matériel du Déjeuner sur l’herbestill contributes to its fascination today. Short of money, Monet used the large canvas as collateral with his landlord. Rolled up in a cellar, it suffered from damp. When he recovered it in 1884, he cut it up and kept only three pieces; the third has disappeared. The two fragments in the Musée d'Orsay therefore do not reconstitute a complete composition. They are the survivors of a project whose original scale is measured above all by what is missing.
This story invites us to look at each reproduction differently. The vertical fragment insists on the figures, their clothing, and the vibration of the greens. The other piece preserves part of the conversation beneath the trees. The Moscow sketch, in a more manageable format, restores the general organization: around the light-colored tablecloth, the bodies draw an open ring, as if the fashionable society momentarily let itself be absorbed by the forest.
It would nevertheless be misleading to present the failure as a simple defeat. The work accomplished preparesFemmes au jardin, painted almost immediately afterwards, and nourishes Monet's research into the changing effects of light. The very difficulty of the project teaches him that an immediate sensation resists very large dimensions when it must be slowly reconstructed in the studio. Later, Monet would find other solutions: to work in series, to return before the motif, and to make atmospheric time the true engine of the work.
1868–1869 · Le Déjeuner du Städel
La vie privée prend les dimensions de l’histoire
InLe Déjeuner, the open air disappears, but the ambition remains intact. The canvas shows a family room after or during the meal. Jean, Monet's young son, stands in the foreground; Camille is present, along with a guest and a servant. Nothing belongs to mythology, battle, or official ceremony. Yet a height of more than two meters secures this scene a place in the museum space.
The Städel Museum highlights the break produced by this choice. Genre scenes and still lifes traditionally held a lower place in the academic hierarchy and were often shown in small formats. Here Monet combines the two: the table laden with bread, dishes, fruit, and glasses forms almost an autonomous still life, while the figures tell of a family intimacy. The everyday thus gains the visual prestige once reserved for history painting.
The composition does not yet resemble the freest Impressionism of the following years. The forms remain constructed and the objects carefully arranged. But this attention is not conservative: it serves to shift the center of gravity of great art. The eye moves from the bread to the tablecloth, from the chair to the window, from the child to the woman's face. No detail dominates absolutely. The modernity of the painting comes from this new equality between people, things, and light.
Les radiographies étudiées par le musée révèlent plusieurs modifications. La femme située près de la fenêtre fut d’abord pensée assise puis debout ; son regard changea également. Deux baguettes initialement placées sur la table furent remplacées par un pain. Ces repentirs montrent que l’impression d’instantané est le résultat d’une construction réfléchie.
Une échelle inhabituelle pour un repas familial et une nature morte domestique.
Le jury refuse la toile, qui ne correspond pas à la hiérarchie académique attendue.
Monet présente l’œuvre avec le groupe indépendant bientôt nommé « impressionniste ».
Analyse visuelle
La nappe n’est pas un accessoire : c’est une machine à lumière
Dans les deux Déjeuners, la nappe organise l’espace. Au milieu de la forêt, sa blancheur recueille les taches de soleil et sépare les vêtements sombres du sol végétal. Dans l’intérieur, elle devient une scène dans la scène : les plis, les assiettes, le pain et les verres transforment le repas en architecture de formes claires. Monet comprend très tôt qu’un blanc n’est jamais neutre. Il absorbe les couleurs voisines, refroidit dans l’ombre, se réchauffe près du pain ou d’une peau et conduit le regard d’un objet à l’autre.
Cette attention explique pourquoi les tableaux restent lisibles malgré leur abondance. Les verts ne sont pas un simple fond naturel ; ils construisent les intervalles entre les personnages. Les noirs et les bruns des habits servent de masses d’équilibre. Les rouges et les ocres apparaissent comme des accents. Dans le tableau du Städel, la fenêtre agit comme une seconde source de clarté et met en tension l’espace intérieur : le monde extérieur existe hors champ, annoncé par la lumière qui traverse la pièce.
Le regard moderne de Monet consiste aussi à refuser un récit trop fermé. Que disent exactement les convives ? Le repas vient-il de finir ? Pourquoi certains personnages regardent-ils ailleurs ? La toile ne fournit pas une anecdote complète. Elle donne des indices, des gestes et des distances. Le spectateur n’assiste pas à une scène théâtrale parfaitement expliquée ; il entre dans un moment déjà commencé, dont la peinture conserve surtout l’atmosphère.
Cette suspension narrative rapproche le tableau d’une photographie, mais sa construction est entièrement picturale. Les changements révélés par la radiographie prouvent que Monet ajuste longuement les relations entre les figures. La spontanéité apparente est donc une conquête. C’est précisément ce paradoxe qui annonce l’impressionnisme : donner au travail lent de la peinture la vivacité d’une perception immédiate.
Chronologie resserrée
From Manet's scandal to the first impressionist exhibition
Manet presents hisDéjeuner sur l'herbe, then titledThe Bath, at the Salon des Refusés. The modern subject, the nude without mythological pretext, and the rough brushwork caused the scandal.
At Chailly-en-Bière, Monet begins his ownThe Luncheon on the Grass. He carries out plein-air studies and prepares a monumental composition intended for the Salon.
Confronted with the cost, the format and the difficulties of execution, Monet abandons the large canvas before the opening of the Salon. He turns to other projects, includingWomen in the Garden.
He paintsLe Déjeuner, a family scene in an interior. The monumental format confers a new dignity on ordinary objects and private life.
The Salon refusesLe Déjeuner. The rejection confirms the gap between Monet's ambitions and the categories defended by the institution.
The painting is exhibited at the first event of the independent group, in Nadar's former studio. The same event gives historical visibility to the word 'impressionist'.
Monet recovers the large canvas ofThe Luncheon on the Grass, damaged after being rolled up in a cellar, then cuts it to save several fragments.
Art and Interiors
Choosing a Monet Déjeuner for Your Space
A reproduction ofLe Déjeunerbrings a vertical, deep, and narrative presence to a room. It suits a living room, a library, or a dining room where a structured work is desired. The dark greens, off-whites, and browns create a soft, muted atmosphere; a dark wood frame reinforces the historical character, while a light-toned moulding modernises the whole.
The Luncheon on the Grassproduces a different effect. Its bright greens and the horizontal breath of the scene visually open up the wall. The panoramic version pairs well with a sofa or a large table. A vertical, more enigmatic fragment works in an entryway or between two openings. The sketch offers a more complete composition, often easier to integrate into a contemporary interior.
The right format depends on the viewing distance. Above a piece of furniture, leave enough clearance and choose a width representing roughly two thirds of the furniture's width. In a small room, a medium-sized reproduction preserves detail without overwhelming the wall. In a generous space, a large format does justice to Monet's original ambition: the figures almost regain a physical presence.
Shop Selection
Four Readings of Monet's Déjeuner
These four active reproductions let you choose between the Städel interior scene, the general composition of the picnic, its variants, and its fragmentary state. Each product is available in the shop at the time of this publication.
Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe
An expansive reading of the country outing under the trees.
View the reproduction →The Orsay fragment
A vertical presence that emphasizes the figures and the light.
View the reproduction →The composition sketch
The most complete vision of the abandoned monumental project.
See the reproduction →Continue the visit
Six collections directly linked to the subject
Museum sources
Entries used to verify the history of the works
Catalogue entry, dimensions, figures, rejection by the Salon, and exhibition of 1874.
Analysis of the hierarchy of genres, the table, and the modifications revealed by X-ray.
History of the 1865–1866 project, fragments, dimensions, and relationship to Manet.
Context of the 1863 Salon des Refusés and analysis of the painting's modernity.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ on Le Déjeuner by Monet
What is the difference between Le Déjeuner and Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe by Monet?
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, begun in 1865, is a large open-air scene now surviving only in fragmentary form.Le Déjeuner, painted in 1868–1869, depicts the family of Monet and close friends in an interior; it is held at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt.
Where is Le Déjeuner by Claude Monet?
The interior scene of 1868–1869 is held at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main. It measures 231.5 × 151.5 cm and bears the inventory number SG 170.
Why is Le Déjeuner considered modern?
Monet grants a family scene and ordinary objects a format close to history painting. He thus challenges the academic hierarchy that placed genre scenes and still lifes at the bottom of the scale.
Why is Monet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe cut into pieces?
The large canvas was given as security to a landlord, rolled up in a cellar and damaged by moisture. Monet recovered it in 1884, then cut it to save three fragments; two are kept at the Musée d’Orsay.
Did Monet copy Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe?
No. He deliberately borrows the title and answers the modern challenge laid down by Manet, but chooses a different scene: clothed figures, a country outing, and above all a study of life-size figures under shifting natural light.
Who are the figures in Monet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe?
The Musée d'Orsay's catalogue entries identify, among others, Frédéric Bazille, Camille Doncieux, and a figure resembling Gustave Courbet. Monet had his close friends pose and reused certain models throughout the composition.
Was Monet's Le Déjeuner exhibited in 1874?
Yes. After its rejection by the Salon of 1870, the interior panel was shown in 1874 at the first exhibition of the independent group — a founding moment in the history of Impressionism.
Which format should you choose for a reproduction of Monet's Déjeuner?
A vertical format works well for the interior panel at the Städel or a detail from the Orsay. For the complete picnic sketch, a horizontal format is preferable. The choice should take into account the width of the furniture and the viewing distance.
0 comments