Flower Market and Butter Tower, Rouen 1907

Editor: This is Joseph Pennell’s "Flower Market and Butter Tower, Rouen," an etching made in 1907. I’m struck by the contrast between the intricate, almost oppressive architecture and the bustling market scene below. It feels like a study in power structures, maybe? What do you see in it? Curator: Absolutely. The architectural backdrop—the “Butter Tower,” ironically funded by dispensations to eat butter during Lent— looms over the market, literally and metaphorically. How does Pennell’s choice to depict this specific locale during this specific time speak to the socio-political realities of early 20th-century France, on the cusp of major societal shifts, and what role might class play here? Editor: Hmm, I guess I hadn't thought about it in terms of class. Are you saying the tower represents the established church, literally overlooking the everyday lives of ordinary people in the market? Curator: Precisely. And consider the Impressionistic style. Instead of precise details, we get a fleeting, almost dreamlike quality. Does this blurriness romanticize or critique the scene, and whose perspective might be represented here? Perhaps, a tourist’s gaze seeking an ‘authentic’ experience? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s easy to get lost in the pretty image without thinking about who has the privilege to perceive it that way. It seems like the beauty is almost a veil over some deeper power dynamics at play. Curator: Indeed. Recognizing this intersection of aesthetics, history, and social critique helps us unravel the complex narratives embedded in seemingly simple cityscapes, prompting us to question whose stories are being told, and from what perspective. Editor: Wow, I will never look at an Impressionistic cityscape the same way again. I will keep in mind the intersection between esthetics and power in similar artworks going forward.