The Seine at Bas-Meudon 1865

Johan Barthold Jongkind painted "The Seine at Bas-Meudon" using oil on canvas in 1865. Look closely, and you will see that his strokes of color are loose, capturing the transient quality of light on water and cloud. Yet the way in which Jongkind applied his materials also conveys a sense of the labor that defined this riverside scene. The buildings are sketched with a quick hand, but still suggest the weight of brick and stone. Notice, too, the figures in the landscape – the artist's rapid dabs of paint suggest not just their presence, but also the work they are engaged in. The painting reveals the way raw materials of the countryside supported the area’s developing economy. By attending closely to the materiality of paint and its application, Jongkind’s canvas does more than simply represent a scene; it gives us a glimpse into the social and economic life of the time.