View on the Outskirts of Caen 1872 - 1875

Stanislas Lépine created this oil on canvas painting, entitled "View on the Outskirts of Caen." Lépine here captures a provincial town in France, perhaps during the latter half of the 19th century. We see the intersection of town and country, with buildings nestled amongst the trees, and open farmland in the distance. This composition evokes a specific set of social conditions, where older aristocratic land-owning classes still held sway over French society and its institutions. Yet the urbanization of the French countryside, driven by industrial capitalism, meant that the relationship between town and country was in flux. Note also the subdued tones, and rather loose brushwork, a style favored by the Impressionists who were making waves in the French art world at this time. This aesthetic represented a challenge to the traditional academic painting, and thus the French institutions that upheld such traditions. Historical study, including analysis of local archives and exhibition reviews, helps us understand these complex dynamics.