Les Revenants; La Pêche 1890

Henri Rivière created this lithograph, titled 'Les Revenants; La Pêche' which translates to 'The Ghosts; Fishing', sometime in the late nineteenth century, capturing a Parisian scene in winter. The print provides a glimpse into the cultural landscape of France at the time. The composition, divided into two panels, evokes the look of early comic strips. On the left, a man pauses by a column plastered with advertisements, one of which promotes the 'Theatre Libre', or Free Theater, an important experimental venue in Paris that often challenged social norms through its productions. The right panel reveals a snowy park scene, complete with bare trees and distant figures, perhaps suggesting the isolation of modern urban life. We can understand this artwork better by researching the history of Parisian theater and the rise of print culture. Rivière's work serves as a reminder that art is deeply embedded in social context.