In 1871, the Paris Commune led to the burning of the town hall (Hôtel de Ville) and the establishment of the Third Republic. A mural was commissioned for the new town hall, which served as a seasonal allegory and a political statement. The work's lush hues and signature flatness create a distorted hierarchy of figures and a dream-like composition of a different era, with background figures gradually decreasing in size according to the laws of perspective and dimension. This technique was later adopted by artists such as Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Paul Gauguin. However, while the painting portrays an idealized summer scene with bathers, it lacks a clear narrative or objective.

The choice of summer and water as a decorative theme for the new town hall was symbolic of a remedy for the bitter winter of 1870 under the Franco-Prussian war and the burning of the old town hall in 1871. Even in 1891, these events were still fresh in people's minds. By depicting a fantasy rather than recent history, Puvis transports the audience back to a classical and more peaceful time.