Haymaking at Eragny 1891

Camille Pissarro made this painting of haymaking at Eragny with oil on canvas. The haymaking scene gives us insight into rural life in late 19th-century France. Painted in 1891, the image is set against a backdrop of significant social and economic change. The rise of industrialization and urbanization drew many people away from rural communities. Pissarro, who was deeply interested in social issues, often depicted the lives of peasants, as though to highlight the value of rural labor. This was a time when academic art institutions favored history painting and portraits of the elite. Pissarro and the other impressionists challenged these norms by representing everyday life, especially the lives of working-class people. For Pissarro, the act of painting was itself a social act. His commitment to depicting the dignity of labor challenged the prevailing artistic and social hierarchies of his time. Art historians use a wide range of resources - from exhibition records to personal letters - to understand the complex interplay between art and society. Remember, the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.