View of a Pond 1870 - 1891

Marcel Blairat made this etching, titled ‘View of a Pond’, at some point in the late nineteenth century. It presents a tranquil scene, but one rendered with stark contrasts in light and shade. Produced in France, this was a time when artists increasingly looked outside the formal structures of the Academy. Instead of depicting historical or mythological scenes, they focused on landscapes and scenes of everyday life. Blairat here seems to align himself with the Barbizon school, who were keen to represent nature ‘as it is’. What is interesting, though, is that while the etching has a naturalistic and observable quality, it is also intensely stylized. Note the detail of the foreground plants, and their artificial, almost decorative quality. Blairat was a printmaker. The market for prints was expanding in France at this time, with new journals and magazines seeking illustrations of contemporary life. The artwork has much to tell us about the changing face of art and the art market in late nineteenth-century France. To understand this, one could research exhibition reviews, artists’ biographies, and sales data.