Environs de Choisy-le-Roi 1843

Curator: Charles-François Daubigny’s "Environs de Choisy-le-Roi," etched in 1843, welcomes us into a tranquil scene just outside Paris, currently residing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. What captures your eye initially about this work? Editor: A soft hush settles over me when I look at it. It’s almost monochrome, a whisper of detail across the water, like secrets rippling just beneath the surface. There is so much nature, almost as though no person ever set foot there. What kind of a place it it? Curator: It is what we would today describe as "en plein air," made directly outdoors. It feels romantic, wouldn’t you say? The figure of the seated man, tending his flock in an eternal landscape. Editor: Ah, you know me, forever reading into things. The shepherd is not posed; he feels authentically integrated into the scene. It's less about picturesque charm and more about humanity in balance with its environment, a return to the source, perhaps, through labor. Though if you ask me, the water is where it’s at. All of those light striations... so moody. What of that? Curator: Daubigny was a master of capturing the effect of light on water—almost impressionistic. The water might symbolize transformation. Its mirroring quality can represent the unconscious, inviting self-reflection, especially in the way that reflections blur into the actual physical space. A bit like the merging of consciousness with reality? Editor: Mmm. Merging consciousness...Or is it just the industrial world reflected, warped into a dreamy shadow? Considering it’s “environs” – the area _around_ the town rather than the town itself – maybe Daubigny’s showing us something intentionally conflicted: nature in negotiation. I also keep thinking of it as almost like a photograph, that captures an authentic view on that long ago day, so real. Curator: Perhaps. It is almost as if nature is trying to recover its true essence as it finds ways to coexist with mankind. But beyond intellectual speculation, its real beauty might reside simply in the tangible mood it conjures: the air before rainfall, sunlight slanting through foliage…Daubigny provides just enough so you are prompted to complete it with your imagination. Editor: Exactly! That is what I think I find so compelling about it! It feels unfinished, allowing us to step in and reimagine it. But beyond that... thank you for inviting me to think beyond what is at first glance and into something with greater meaning! Curator: The pleasure was all mine! Perhaps a different work, next?