After World War II, when a large collection of Impressionist paintings was moved to the Ca

l rie Nationale du Jeu de Paume in Paris, a curator expressed the hope that the works would help viewers overcome the horrors of war and celebrate the beauty of nature. However, over the years, the Jeu de Pamne got too crowded, and tourists and art lovers had to crane their necks to appreciate the paintings.

So, in 1987, the Impressionist collection, along with the works of their precursors, was moved across the Seine into thed’Orsay, a former railroad station with crystal palace stylishness. Now it is again a pleasure to walk in its airy hails, admiring the great works of art that are the heritage of the French nation. Another nice touch was added to the collection, but don't look for it inside the museum; you have to visit the places where the artists lived and worked.

Along the course of the Seine, poster-size reproductions of works by the Impressionists have been set up at the spots the artists had chosen as their vantage points for painting the view and contemporary life. In the past, an art book in hand, you had to search with patience for these locales where Monet, Renoir and Sisley created many of their masterworks. Now, to experience where this open-air painting took place, you need only travel to the outskirts of Paris, where the Seine lazily flows by the villages along its banks.

Here Parisians of all classes enjoyed themselves on weekends, relaxing in the sun, swimming and boating, and crowding the riverbanks, bathing places, and restaurants. This became the Impressionists' territory, and it is still accessible and a joy to explore. Try to see at least three settings where Monet and Renoir roamed more than a hundred years ago: the island of Chatou and the towns of Bougival and Port-Marly.

On the island of Chatou, near the river's edge, a reproduction of Renoir's Boating at Chatou recalls the day when, on the balcony of the restaurant Fournaise in 1881. he painted his celebrated Luncheon of the Boating Party, which is now in the Phillips Collection in Washington. The restaurant was a haunt tot artists and upper-class Parisians. Writers such as Flaubert and Maupassant, famous banker and philanthropist Mayer Alphonse James Routhschild, and Georges Charpentier (publisher of Maupassant and Zola) were among the regulars.

"I always went to the Fournaise," Renoir recalled later. "There were always pretty girls to paint. " Little wonder that Aline Charigot, his future wife, appears on the canvas of the Luncheon. As time went on, the Fournaise fell into disrepair, but it has now been restored and turned into the elegant restaurant as it once was.

A short distance downstream, the next stop is Bougival and the Ile-de-la-Chaussee. Cross the large modern bridge and take the small road leading to the island, and you'll find yourself facing the foundation of the old bridge that Monet painted in 1869. Thanks to the poster-size reproduction there, you can compare the work of art with its motif. Across from the Bougival waterfront was once located La, a famous bathing place and, which was painted by Renoir and Monet in 1869, who set up their easels side by side. Now La Grenouill re is no more, and most of the island is private property.

The painters didn't adopt an "all work and no play" altitude. They also took part in the everyday activities on the Seine. "Two friends and I won a first place at the regattas at Bo

A．By asking the local people living along the Seine.

B．By visiting the places where the artists lived and worked.

C．By going to the outskirts of Paris.

D．By an art book in hand.