Peasant House with Pond 1845

Charles Jacque created this etching called "Peasant House with Pond". Jacque was one of the artists who forged an independent path in nineteenth-century France, one that ran counter to the official institutions of art such as the Salon. Jacque was part of a new wave of painters and printmakers who took inspiration from the rural landscapes of France. His chosen subject was the everyday life of peasants. Etching was a technique that lent itself well to the depiction of such scenes, creating a sense of immediacy and authenticity. He’s asking us to reconsider what type of subject matter is worthy of our attention. To understand Jacque's place within the art world of his time, it is crucial to examine the changing relationship between city and country, and the rise of Realism as an artistic movement.