L'Orage 1842

Charles-François Daubigny created this etching, called “L’Orage,” or “The Storm,” at some point in his career. He was one of the painters who settled in Barbizon, a village southeast of Paris, and initiated a new focus on the direct and immediate rendering of landscape. This wasn’t just an aesthetic preference; it signaled a shift in the social function of art. Rather than mythological or historical scenes, here we have a mundane slice of contemporary rural life in France. The peasants are the subject, buffeted by the elements, with their flock heading for shelter. We can imagine Daubigny making sketches, or even working on the plate itself, en plein air, as the storm gathered. The print medium allowed Daubigny to reach a wider audience than he could with painting alone, and he regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon. Art historians consult exhibition reviews and sale records to understand how works like this one were received by the public and the critics of the time. Only through such research can we understand how art reflects the society that produces it.