[1] Art historians have suggested that the woman may be Camille Monet,[2] while the man has often been identified as Manet's brother-in-law Rodolphe Leenhoff.

[3] Boating is often cited as Manet's foray into Impressionism based on its brushwork and subject matter.

Mary Mathews Gedo, a former clinical psychologist turned art historian, has described Boating as "quintessentially Monet Esque".

The art historian John Leighton has observed that the Impressionist interest in water is often associated with spontaneity, but he cautions that this "masks a long process of revision and refinement.

It depicts a young couple sailing on a beautiful sunny summer day in France.

According to Stéphane Mallarmé, Manet's use of framing (inspired by Japanese artists) defines the scene as a whole.

However the woman in Boating has dark black hair and brown eyes, dissimilar to Mme.

Today, art historians such as Mary Matthews Gedo believe that the woman in both Boating and Argenteuil is Camille Monet.

[4][9] Along with many painters of the time, Manet was influenced by Japanese art, as part of the broader movement known as Japonisme.

[10] Some important qualities that Manet picked up included two-dimensional composition, lighter coloring, and cropping of the field of view.

After the Salon, Boating was sold to Victor Desfosses, a banker, art collector, and director of Gil Blas.