During the summers of 1896 and 1897, Monet returned to his series of Matinées on the Seine, painted at its confluence with the River Epte. As was his wont, he got up at the crack of dawn, clambered aboard his boat, positioned himself before his subject and went about recording the subtle atmospheric variations. The viewpoint and composition hardly vary from one of these almost-square canvases to another: tall, leafy trees frame the water and lead the gaze toward the horizon line placed midway up the picture. The most important thing for Monet was to capture the discreet fluctuations of the light and the atmosphere in the calm of a still sleepy natural scene. This he achieved with effects of color and careful modulation of his palette. Here, light touches of pinks and yellows delicately warm the canvas, suggesting sunrise. The Matinées form a homogenous ensemble that, in its focus on the play of reflections and water, heralds the Water Lily series.