Weekday in Paris 1869

Curator: Adolph Menzel offers us a slice of Parisian life in his 1869 oil painting, "Weekday in Paris." What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It feels...dense. Like being caught in a crowd, actually. The way he's packed the figures and architectural details, it's overwhelming. There's an interesting tension between the painterly quality and the detail in those figures, though, especially near the front. I'm drawn to the horses and that one white cat sitting amongst flowers. Curator: That density, I think, speaks volumes about the urbanization of Paris at the time. Consider the socio-political context; Haussmann's renovation of Paris was well underway, drastically altering the urban landscape and the very fabric of Parisian society. Editor: Absolutely, you see the residue of that in the new urban fabric that he represents in his painting; look at all of the material on the road: what does that suggest? Menzel is capturing not just the new architecture, but its social ramifications in dirt, traffic and density. There is also an interesting juxtaposition, isn’t it, between laboring horses and ladies having lunch in an outdoor Parisian Cafe. What can you tell me about that? Curator: Precisely. And that juxtaposition you mention? The rise of the bourgeoisie and the continued presence of working animals within the same space. A city changing rapidly, its social strata colliding and coexisting. It underscores Menzel's interest in capturing the multi-layered nature of the moment in urban transformation. I am drawn to the painting's almost journalistic approach to realism. Editor: You're right. He's documenting this changing Paris in strokes of oil paint; I mean look at the paint application on that upper story detailing; It's amazing! How the new is crowding the old…one gets the sense that not all of this ends well... Curator: Indeed. I think that we would also consider how that plays within the museum system and within galleries - especially considering its reception at the time. But sadly, our time is up. Editor: Understood. Well, that’s another layer to think about next time. Thank you!