Peasants 1881 - 1884

Editor: Here we have Georges Seurat’s “Peasants,” made with charcoal sometime between 1881 and 1884. It’s a landscape dominated by dark, textured strokes, and it feels incredibly somber. What aspects of the artwork stand out to you? Curator: The overt darkness itself is crucial. Seurat uses charcoal to emphasize the grueling physical reality of agricultural labor. We see the 'means of production'--these peasants are practically fused to the earth and their tools. Consider the very *material* of the charcoal; it comes from burnt wood, hinting at transformation and perhaps even sacrifice tied to labor. Editor: Sacrifice? How so? Curator: Well, look at the technique. It's not a smooth, idealized portrayal of rural life, but rather built up from countless individual marks, representing each moment of toiling in the field. It seems as though the material is not so different than the bodies portrayed: transformed by toil and rendered almost shapeless in its wake. What were the material conditions for peasants in the 1880s? This piece reflects the consumption of their lives in the act of production. Editor: So you're saying Seurat is less interested in depicting pretty scenery and more focused on showing the harsh economic realities? Curator: Precisely. It pushes against romantic notions of the countryside and instead, highlights the relentless demands on their bodies and labor. This is about the process, the material world of labor and class. Editor: That's given me a whole new perspective on the piece. I initially only saw darkness and a landscape. Curator: And that's valid! But through a materialist lens, we can better appreciate how Seurat elevated a common medium into an expression of the social and economic environment in 19th-century rural France. Editor: I'll definitely look at art through this lens going forward; thinking about the "stuff" behind the art adds more complexity.