The Apple Market c. 1880

Curator: Here we have Stanislas Lépine’s “The Apple Market,” created circa 1880. It currently resides at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: There’s a strange haziness to it, almost like looking at a memory. The pale colors seem to evoke the feeling of river air—moist, vaguely gritty. Is it my imagination, or are the brushstrokes pretty apparent, too? Curator: They are indeed! Lépine worked *en plein air*, directly in front of the subject. You can see how he’s trying to capture the light as much as document the scene, those strokes creating textures everywhere you look. Editor: All that human effort concentrated in one space… look at the details: the piles of what must be apples, the worn baskets, even the simple, dark clothing everyone wears. It really brings into focus the sheer labor required to feed a city. The social and economic structures present in these bustling marketplaces of Paris, and how the work done here allows the city to flourish… it's pretty intense! Curator: Absolutely. You feel the human activity, but Lépine abstracts it. There’s a beauty here in the everyday—and you see, far in the background, Notre Dame. So permanent, so imposing, presiding over the transience of the market itself. Almost seems like it represents an omnipotent ruler presiding over his labor class. Editor: The backdrop contrasts sharply with the work in the foreground, doesn't it? It all underscores that constant push and pull of what we value, who does the labor, and who gets to leave their mark on history through making art. All those lives dedicated to cultivating these raw materials just to make this scene even possible is… staggering to consider! Curator: It certainly is. Lépine captures not just a place, but an experience and all its associated baggage—a beautiful painting. Editor: And quite a loaded landscape after all. I think I need to rethink my stance on eating an apple a day after all.