Sous bois 

Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz created this watercolor painting, titled 'Sous bois', in France in the mid-19th century. It exemplifies the Barbizon school's interest in depicting intimate scenes of nature. This seemingly apolitical subject gains greater depth when viewed in the context of France's rapid industrialization and urbanization at the time. Artists began to seek refuge in the countryside, finding in nature an escape from the social upheavals of the city. ‘Sous bois’ presents an idealized vision of the forest of Fontainebleau, a retreat from the urban chaos. Diaz, like his contemporaries, was influenced by broader cultural shifts towards Romanticism, which emphasized emotion and the individual's connection to the natural world. To understand Diaz and his work, resources such as exhibition catalogs, period reviews, and artist biographies offer insight into the cultural and institutional contexts that shaped his artistic vision. The meaning of this painting is contingent on these social and institutional contexts.