The Mill at Vervy 1889

This landscape was painted by Claude Monet, a French painter during a time of great social and economic change in France. Monet’s painting is a representation of the French countryside, with its combination of industrial and natural elements. In it, the mill represents a growing industrial presence. The focus on the landscape speaks to a wider cultural interest in the countryside at a time when the French population was increasingly drawn to urban centres. The painting acts as an assertion of a rural past, and Monet, as a product of the French school system, positions himself within an established tradition of landscape painting. By studying the cultural context, and other examples of the artist's work, we can begin to understand the role of the artist and the institution in shaping cultural values.