Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre in the Garden - Monet Postcard

Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre in the Garden - This portrait of one of the painterís cousins, Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre, is an example of the motif of a woman with a parasol; it was executed in the garden of his Aunt Lecadreís house at Sainte-Adresse. Monetís aunt, and main source of support, was delighted at her nephewís initial successes, as he had now sold his first canvases and obtained his first commission. The painter paid her a visit in the summer, giving him the chance to complete this canvas which illustrates the progress of his research into the relation of the figure to a landscape, the decorative exuberance of flowers and foliage, and how to preserve the radiance of a sun-drenched view. To achieve this, Monet gradually introduced a new approach: he abandoned large areas of solid colour in the manner of Courbet, evident in Le DÈjeuner sur líHerbe, in order to move towards a progressively fragmented style.