The exact setting for this picture has not been identified, but it probably shows the River Seine at Chatou, to the west of Paris. Renoir painted a number of 'open air' boating scenes on the Seine during the 1870s.

In this example, the orange hue of the skiff against the blue of the river exploits the use of complementary colours. Since blue and orange are opposites on the colour scale, they become more intense when they are juxtaposed.

This painting was formerly titled 'Boating on the Seine'.