Springtime of Life 1871

Camille Corot created this oil on canvas painting, titled "Springtime of Life", around 1865-70. The artwork reflects the 19th-century French bourgeois, and the social codes of the period. Here, we see a formally dressed woman in a natural environment. The dress is a signifier of her class standing, but it also poses an interesting question, what is her relationship to nature? Is she separate from it, or a part of it? The painting can be read as a commentary on the social structures of its time, and the place of women in society, with the female figure as an allegory for Spring. To better understand this artwork, scholars may consult period literature, fashion plates, and social histories. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.