Street Lamp, Arcueil 1899

Albert Marquet painted 'Street Lamp, Arcueil' in France, probably in the early 20th century. Marquet's Fauvist style reduces the scene to basic forms and blocks of colour, and the street lamp itself is a key element in the composition. What does this artificial light source signify? By the late 19th century, street lighting was becoming commonplace in European cities, dramatically changing the experience of urban life. Electric lighting changed social patterns, extending the working day, reducing crime, and enabling leisure activities at night. The street lamp as a symbol, then, represents modernity and public life, but here it stands in a suburban setting. Is Marquet suggesting these changes are coming even to the sleepy suburbs of Paris? Is he celebrating a brave new world, or hinting at the loss of something more natural? To understand the painting more fully, we need to examine visual culture and the history of technology. The social and political meanings of this simple scene might be more complex than first appears.