The coach 1854

Gustave Moreau made this landscape painting, called ‘The Coach’, with oil on canvas. It may seem like a simple scene, yet the materials themselves offer a glimpse into the social context of its creation. Oil paint, with its rich colors and smooth texture, was the choice medium among academic artists of the time. Moreau and others considered it a superior material, a departure from the supposed ‘lowliness’ of craft. The canvas, meticulously prepared, further exemplifies this aspiration towards refinement. However, the painting’s subject matter – a coach, horses, and figures amidst a landscape – hints at the labor and class dynamics underlying this apparent elegance. Coaches and horses, symbols of wealth and status, were often maintained through the hard work of stable hands, drivers, and coach makers. Moreau's choice of subject subtly acknowledges the social hierarchies that made such displays of luxury possible. By considering the materials, techniques, and subject matter together, we can appreciate how Moreau’s painting reflects the complex relationship between art, craft, and society.