Barques 

Jean Hugo painted ‘Barques’, or ‘Boats’ in French, using oil paint. The simplified forms and flattened perspective might, at first glance, suggest this was made in the early twentieth century. But this is an artist who moved in Surrealist circles, and this canvas could have been created at any time. Here, we have a fishing scene somewhere on the French coast. Fishing was an occupation for the working class and those who could not afford land. Hugo makes it clear that this is about the work of the fishermen, showing them bringing in their nets. The small houses may be the only property they own. As art historians, we look to the social history of rural France for a full understanding of the picture. We ask: how did class shape the artist’s view? And how has our own social experience shaped our interpretation?