Reproductie van een schilderij van de overdekte markt Carreau du Temple door José Jiménez y Aranda before 1901

This black and white reproduction of a painting of the covered market Carreau du Temple, captures the atmosphere of the hustle and bustle of the French marketplace. Can you imagine the artist standing there, trying to take in the atmosphere? You can see the movement of the crowd, like brushstrokes overlapping, each figure adding to the collective energy of the marketplace. There is a sense of depth; the foreground figures are sharply defined, while those in the distance are softer, fading into the crowd. I wonder if the artist wanted to capture the play of light filtering through the high glass roof, illuminating the scene below. The act of painting is an interesting conversation with other artists. Looking at this, I'm thinking about the way that someone like Manet would tackle a similar subject but with a totally different, more modern, sensibility. It makes you think about how painting captures life and becomes a place where we can imagine so many ideas.