Landscape 1800 - 1853

Jean François Valois’s ‘Landscape’ offers us an idyllic scene of rural life, yet its serenity is steeped in the social realities of 19th-century France. Valois, painting during a period of significant social upheaval following the French Revolution, presents a vision of harmony between humans and nature. However, such pastoral scenes often romanticized the harsh realities of peasant life. The labour of the unseen figures by the well hints at the back-breaking work on which this vision depends. Consider the gendered division of labour, with women often relegated to domestic and agricultural tasks. Also, we should acknowledge the class dynamics inherent in such landscapes. The focus on livestock and land subtly reflects the economic structures that governed rural society. How does Valois's Landscape invite us to reflect on the complex interplay between nature, labour, and social hierarchy?