Mademoiselle Meuriot sur son poney 1889

Curator: Jacques-Émile Blanche's 1889 painting, Mademoiselle Meuriot sur son poney, strikes me immediately. The formal stillness is rather surprising, given it's Impressionistic brushwork. What's your initial impression? Editor: It certainly captures a moment of posed stillness, yes, but my eye is drawn to the clear class divisions. Look at the quality of the horse’s tack, Mademoiselle Meuriot’s tailored riding habit. Someone made these things. Curator: Absolutely. There's a strong sense of composed elegance achieved through specific formal elements. The contrast between the dark figure and the light, airy landscape creates a focal point, and the use of light, particularly in the dappled shadows on the ground, guides the eye. Editor: Right. These signifiers, light and landscape, work to produce a very specific image of leisure and luxury that Impressionism frequently relies on for its subject matter. This feels, to me, like a carefully constructed performance, made all the more obvious because someone had to pay for it, and someone had to produce it. Curator: You raise an interesting point about performance. Looking at the composition, the artist seems interested in portraying her composure rather than capturing fleeting movement, differing somewhat from classic Impressionist form. There is even an academic rigidity to it. Editor: Indeed. I see echoes of equestrian portraiture as an aristocratic status symbol that continue to be of value at the end of the 19th century. Even as these leisure activities became accessible to the bourgeoisie, who benefits? Who labors for that leisure? Curator: I see your point about how the scene hints at production and labour behind the scene of opulence; the image itself, and its style also provide the emotional depth one comes to expect from great artworks. Thank you, this was insightful. Editor: My pleasure. It is always fruitful to contextualize even the most beautiful images!