Rowing Scene: Crowds Watching from the River Banks

Émile Lévy

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a rowing competition with a large crowd along the riverbank. Tall trees and distant, hazy hills are visible on the horizon. The sky above is a soft, muted gray-blue color. In the center of the painting, a wide river runs across the scene horizontally, its surface reflecting the blue of the sky and the green of the trees. Four thin boats are crossing the water, each with five people on them, some of the people rowing. The people on the boats are dressed in shades of bright red, yellow, blue, and white. The banks are lined with more people in bright clothing, including women in long dresses with shawls and bonnets and men in suits with top hats. Across the water, there is a large white building on the left filled with more spectators.