My Farm (Ma ferme) 

Alphonse Legros created this etching, titled 'My Farm' which presents a serene rural landscape. Legros was deeply influenced by the social realism of 19th-century France. A time when artists sought to depict the lives of ordinary people and the realities of the working class. The title suggests a personal connection to the scene; however, Legros spent much of his career away from rural settings, teaching in urban environments. How might this distance shape his vision of rural life? The farm is shown as a site of simplicity and refuge. Yet, this vision obscures the labor and socio-economic struggles inherent to agricultural life. Legros develops a narrative of pastoral escape that reflects a longing for a simpler past, while omitting its complexities. I wonder what it means to claim ownership over a space that is both idealized and distanced from the artist's lived experience.