Typically, trees create a sense of space and a visually appealing focal point. However, Monet's trees seem crudely added at the last minute, almost as if in an act of laziness to avoid painting the left third of the canvas. The reflection of the village on the far side of the river seems distorted. Monet paints only the reflection of a building concealed by the trees, and declines to paint reflections for the rest of the buildings on the right side.

The woman seated in the foreground, likely meant to be Monet's wife, is faceless, and her form seems  to have been changed several times. Her stance closes her off from any interpretations of emotion of situation. Monet seems to have removed a second figure from the painting, leaving patches of white and grey that do not blend into their surroundings. 

However, these changes likely had no affect on the meaning of the painting. The boat against the shore signals that the woman likely rowed across the river. Two groups of figures on boats in the background bring only the knowledge that the woman is not entirely alone. Otherwise, they fail to add to a narrative and are too abstractly painted to hint at any activity or story.

With each brushstroke, Monet seems to deliberately suppress emotion and narrative. Although the pleasant weather is obvious, little more can be gleaned from the painting. Monet purposely makes this painting say nothing. In Bretell's Modern Art, he suggests that "the most persuasive way to interpret the picture is as an image about painting as representation."  

On the Bank of the Seine at Bennecourt, according to this interpretation, is simply a painting, nothing more and nothing less. Viewers can choose to read into the landscape, but the most satisfying way to to view this painting is to simply appreciate the presence of paint on the canvas, the mixing of greens, blues, and browns.