Theodore Robinson's The Duck Pond showcases the artist's mastery of French Impressionist methods, characterized by short brush marks emphasizing fleeting effects of light and color. The ducks near the center of the composition are almost entirely obscured by the painter's dashing paint application, which verges on abstraction. Despite many apparent signs of painterly spontaneity, Robinson based this work on a photograph, a practice adopted by many late 19th-century artists.
Robinson developed his style in Giverny, France, where he traveled in 1887 and settled permanently the following year. During this period, the American painter benefited greatly from his friendship with the region's most famous resident Claude Monet. The Duck Pond likely dates from Robinson's time in Giverny.
