La Ciotat 1880

Editor: Here we have Johan Barthold Jongkind's "La Ciotat" from 1880. It appears to be a watercolor, and it gives me a serene feeling, a glimpse into a simpler time. How do you interpret this work, particularly considering its materials? Curator: The seeming simplicity is deceptive. I see an interplay of the readily available and increasingly industrialized materials of the late 19th century. Watercolor, often considered a preliminary medium, is here elevated, capturing the fleeting effects of light on a landscape increasingly shaped by industrial fishing practices along the coast. Editor: So, you are suggesting that even in something as seemingly straightforward as a landscape, there's commentary on industrial impact? Curator: Precisely. The choice of watercolor, its portability, speaks to plein-air painting and a democratizing access to art making, coinciding with paint tubes’ mass production and expanding middle-class leisure. This is contrasted against the fishing boats that likely supported working-class individuals. Look how Jongkind depicts them with such a delicate medium. What tension does that create? Editor: I see what you mean, contrasting the delicate watercolor with the industry, making the painting almost a social observation? Curator: Exactly. It prompts questions about the role of art in documenting and perhaps even critiquing the changing landscape of labor and leisure in a specific locale. The loose brushstrokes hint at a quickly rendered impression, a commodified experience available for purchase by bourgeois tourists seeking escape, whilst potentially disguising the social realities within the fishing community represented along the shores. Editor: That is very interesting. I didn't initially see the interplay of material and social context, but now it makes so much more sense. It's more than just a pretty scene. Curator: Absolutely. Examining the material history unveils these layered complexities within a seemingly simple landscape.