Going to Business 1879

Curator: I’m immediately struck by the muted tones, like looking through a fogged-up window at ambition itself. Editor: You've nailed it. That subdued palette absolutely speaks to a certain Victorian moodiness, doesn’t it? This oil painting, "Going to Business" by James Tissot, dates to 1879. It's quite characteristic of his slice-of-life cityscapes. Curator: "Slice of life," yes, but presented as almost sepia-toned memories, or perhaps even hopes for a future, successful life. The man in the carriage engrossed in his paper, while a very picturesque coachman leads the way... Do you think there’s an aspirational element at play here? Editor: Tissot aimed for a market hungry for glimpses into modern life but he wasn’t beyond tweaking the narrative for appeal. Paintings like this helped establish certain rituals of business as picturesque parts of everyday experience, even when much of it remained inaccessible. Curator: Picturesque, and rather beautifully rendered, I think. The architectural details of the buildings fading into the misty background...It gives this busy urban scene a strange, detached feel. It feels dreamlike in its everydayness. Editor: That ethereal quality is what keeps Tissot interesting, I think. His skill was finding ways to turn the modern and mundane into subjects worthy of serious attention, especially when considering how paintings in earlier decades depicted history and religious scenes as far grander. It highlights how class structures shifted towards urban wealth, so in effect Tissot democratizes grand painting by looking at commerce. Curator: Right, exactly! This ordinary fellow going to his business suddenly embodies…progress. All carefully framed by those beautiful, but softened, buildings and cityscape that could only be painted with incredible nuance. There's something truly special about the combination, isn't it? Editor: Indeed. It's a fantastic lens for understanding how art started portraying the urban reality and business was framed in social imaginary. Curator: Makes you think about how our lives, too, will be captured and perhaps romanticized, in some painter's vision. Fascinating, thank you. Editor: Thank you, that was revealing.