Interior, after Dinner 1868 - 1869

Claude Monet painted this image of a bourgeois domestic interior in France, though we don’t know exactly when. Note how the artist uses the light from the hanging lamp to create a sense of intimacy and quietude. Monet was part of a rising generation of artists who broke away from the official art institutions of the time. He and his colleagues organized their own exhibitions and found new ways to represent the world around them. You can see this in the loose brushwork and the focus on capturing a fleeting moment of everyday life. The scene invites us to consider the social rituals and class distinctions that shaped French society in the late 19th century. As art historians, we can look at things like letters, exhibition reviews, and other archival materials to understand the social and institutional context in which Monet was working. We can explore how the rise of the bourgeoisie influenced artistic production and consumption. This helps us understand the complex relationship between art and society.