The Summer, Poppy Field 1875

Claude Monet created this landscape painting, Poppy Field, using oil on canvas. The scene may seem simply pretty, but it connects with a bigger shift in French art, as artists like Monet started leaving the official art exhibitions to paint the world around them. Looking closely, we see a field of poppies in full bloom, with two women in the foreground, and a few trees scattered in the distance. Consider that this was made in France, where the rise of the middle class was changing social structures. People had more free time and were eager to enjoy it away from the cities. Monet, among others, captured these new leisure activities in the countryside. Impressionists like Monet were criticized for not following academic rules, but they opened up art to new subjects and ways of seeing. To understand this further, we look at the social context of the time and the institutions that shaped the art world. This helps us understand how art reflects and sometimes challenges society.