Meditation 1845

Camille Corot made this oil on canvas, "Meditation," sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts a young woman lost in thought, but what kind of thinking, and about what? In France at this time, images of women were often loaded with social meaning. Was she intended as an allegory of melancholy, or perhaps a symbol of idealized womanhood? Is this woman an individual, or a type? The style points to the tradition of academic painting, which was deeply entwined with state power. Artists trained in the academy were expected to uphold conservative values and to represent the world in a clear, rational way. Corot, though, was part of a new generation of artists, who challenged these conventions. As viewers, our own historical moment shapes our interpretation. We bring to it our own values, our own experiences, and our own understanding of the world. To truly understand this painting, we need to consider the social conditions that shaped its creation and reception. By consulting archives, letters, and other historical documents, we can begin to piece together a richer understanding of its meaning.