The House at Rueil 1882

Edouard Manet painted this oil on canvas, “The House at Rueil”, during a transformative period in French society. Manet, straddling the roles of flâneur and bourgeois artist, captured scenes reflecting both public life and the private retreats of the upper class. Painted in the later years of his life, this work provides insight into the domestic sphere, a place that was becoming increasingly important as a symbol of stability amidst rapid social change. The detached gaze and focus on light and color suggests a negotiation between traditional landscape painting and the emerging modern aesthetic. Manet's style moved away from traditional academic paintings, thereby portraying a version of the world as he saw it. In his choice of subject matter we see a reflection of the artist's social position and how he viewed the changing world around him. His work stands as a visual record of a society undergoing modernization and grappling with questions of identity and place.