View of Rouen 1872

Editor: So, here we have Claude Monet’s "View of Rouen", painted in 1872. The way the light reflects on the water creates a really serene feeling, almost dreamlike. The buildings in the background give it a strong sense of place. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: It's fascinating how Monet depicts Rouen, a city undergoing rapid industrialization, but filters it through an aesthetic lens. He captures not just the physical structures but the changing social landscape. How do you interpret the inclusion of those smokestacks alongside the cathedral? Editor: I see the cathedral, obviously representing established order, or traditional values. The smokestacks suggest industrial progress, perhaps hinting at the conflict between the old and the new. Curator: Precisely. Monet wasn't simply painting a pretty picture. He was engaging with the debates about progress and tradition. Consider also, the emerging middle class were hungry for representations of their lived environment and newly acquired wealth, and art like this provided it, validating their place in this evolving society. Do you think Monet might be commenting on the role of the artist within this transition? Editor: That’s interesting… By presenting a view accessible to them, Monet solidifies the cultural dominance of these very bourgeois tastes? Almost like his impressionistic take normalizes the change? Curator: Exactly. His method becomes intrinsically tied to the very shifts in society he paints. Monet acknowledges industrialization's growing importance while, also softening it to become publicly palatable. What a masterful way to respond to cultural change. Editor: I see that in a new way. Thanks for walking me through it! Curator: My pleasure, it's important to recognize that what we perceive is inherently intertwined with historical, political and social frameworks that made such perceptions possible.