Pont Royal, Paris 1897

Childe Hassam painted 'Pont Royal, Paris,' an Impressionist oil on canvas, during a period when the city was not only a global art center but also a site of significant social stratification. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Hassam spent a lot of time painting European cityscapes. Although he would not describe himself as such, many consider him an American Impressionist. During his time, Impressionism represented a shift away from academic art, aligning with broader challenges to social hierarchies. 'Pont Royal, Paris' captures a fleeting moment of Parisian life. The painting is a romantic vision of the city, but it is also a very sanitised one. What do we make of the total absence of the working classes, or of any real signs of the poverty that defined so much of the city at the time? It reflects how the art world often catered to the tastes of the wealthy, reinforcing their vision of beauty and order. Hassam gives us beauty, but this beauty comes with a price.