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Abstract
Before Claude Monet (1840-1926) found his way to Impressionist landscape painting, he was an artist still looking to make his mark in the Paris art world. Monet hoped to distinguish himself and earn acclaim at the Salon with a monumental painting now titled Djeuner sur lherbe (1865-1866). Scholars have claimed that this painting accurately reflected Monets social standing. While this claim might be partly true, to view the painting as a manifestation of Monets class is complicated by the fact that both the canvas and the artist went through many changes. The lack of investigation into class and Monets Djeuner is surprising, considering it hails from a period in nineteenth-century France which witnessed profound shifts in the structure between various social classes and their appearance in the visual arts. This paper will explore the conflicting and fluid manifestations of class in Monets Djeuner sur lherbe.