Village Scene 1885

Childe Hassam painted this village scene with oil on canvas. Hassam was an American Impressionist. The Impressionists aimed to capture a fleeting moment in time, and in this painting, we see Hassam's attempt to depict a peaceful and idyllic village scene. But what can we really know about village life through this kind of image? The scene could be anywhere in the West in the late 19th Century. The houses are quaint, the flowers are blooming, and the trees are green. It’s the kind of comforting image that appealed to the growing middle classes of America and Europe who were eager to escape from the industrializing cities. But whose village is this, and who is it for? What kind of social values does it represent? We might want to look at the writings of social critics to understand the image better, or perhaps consult census data. Art history can help us appreciate the way that cultural values shape our understanding of the world.