John singer sargent uses more relaxed brush strokes in this work inspired by his friend the impressionist artist claude monet this picture shows his friend and fellow artist paul helleu and his young wife alice settled in the grass with a canoe by the river at fladbury in the cotswolds paul is using a fishing rod to prop up his canvas and is painting while alice relaxes by his side this relaxed composition is very different from the formal society portraits sargent was commissioned to pain