Between Art and Nature (detail) 1888

This segment shows a detail from Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’ painting, made in France, sometime before 1898. It presents us with an allegorical scene, asking how art relates to nature. We see figures enacting this theme; women in classical robes, some idling elegantly, others bearing the tools of art. Behind them, nude labourers toil in the earth. It recalls the idealised landscapes of classical antiquity, filtered through a late 19th century sensibility. The muted tones and the emphasis on harmonious composition speak to the conservative artistic establishment of the time, the Beaux-Arts. Yet, in its subtle way, the painting also asks questions of that establishment; is it right to divorce art from the world of labour? Is beauty enough without purpose? These were questions debated in the French art world at the end of the 19th century. To understand such paintings, the art historian draws on a wide range of resources, from artists’ letters to exhibition reviews and political debates. Art is rarely made in a vacuum, and its meanings are always contingent on its time and place.