Déjeuner sur la terrasse

Born in Geneva, Menta was a pupil of Barthlemy Menn. Beginning as a landscape painter, Menta switched to genre scenes and portraits. In this example we can see the contrasting style of his work. On the one hand his plein-air training from Menn can be seen in the free brush strokes of the foliage and the view out to the horizon. On the other, the vibrancy displayed in the colours of the lady's dresses and pompoms reflect his fascination with Impressionism. In 1874, Menta debuted at an exhibition in Geneva, which led to regular exhibitions in France. From around 1880, the artist lived in Nice on the Cte d'Azur, most likely depicted here. The Muse des Beaux-Arts in Nice house many of his works.