Arc de Triomphe 

Antoine Blanchard rendered this Parisian street scene in oil paint. The brushstrokes are loose and impressionistic, capturing a bustling streetscape. Blanchard employed a traditional medium, oil paint, to produce numerous images of Paris for the art market. His paintings catered to a sentimental view of the city. This mode of production, reliant on the repetitive application of skill, has a direct connection to wider issues of labor and consumption. The image is less about the specific subject matter and more about the skilled application of paint to canvas, where the craft of painting itself becomes the commodity. Despite the mass-produced nature of Blanchard's oeuvre, a sensitivity to materials and process offers a deeper understanding. We are able to appreciate not only his technical facility, but also his engagement with the commercial art world of his time. By considering the context of production, we move beyond traditional art history to appreciate Blanchard's work within the broader landscape of artistic labor.