At the Square 1897

"At the Square" is a print made by Henri Jacques Edouard Evenepoel. It offers us a peek into the world of bourgeois life in the late 19th century. Evenepoel, straddling the line between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, captures a moment of everyday life: a woman and child out for a stroll. The woman, with her stern gaze and tightly clutched umbrella, is the epitome of bourgeois respectability. But the child, in her elaborate bonnet, hints at the constraints placed upon young girls even then, groomed for a life within the confines of domesticity. There's a certain tension here; the woman's rigid posture and the child's almost doll-like appearance speak to the expectations and performances demanded by society, and the era's restrictive gender roles. Evenepoel, though part of this world, seems to be hinting at its undercurrents. This image asks us to consider the price of respectability and the silent rebellion that simmers beneath the surface.