In this painting and Cider (on view nearby), Puvis developed his conception for a mural honoring the French territory of Picardy. Here, men construct a bridge over the Somme River while women bathe and mend fishing nets. Their draperies provide vivid accents of color amid the soft hues of the landscape. The final versions of Cider and The River are part of a cycle decorating the Musée de Picardie in Amiens.
-the met
His color palette was what stuck out to me immediately. What Cezanne was to cubists he was to symbolists. (Well not exactly but you get the gist)