Gathering Flowers 

Curator: What a sweet scene, all candy colors and sunshine. It gives me an optimistic feeling, what about you, Editor? Editor: You’re right, there’s definitely a saccharine charm. And the light! The colors really do sing. The texture looks pretty smooth too, how was this one created? Curator: I’m so glad you noticed those subtle elements, and that the artwork evokes emotion. It is believed that Victor Gabriel Gilbert, who was particularly acclaimed for his Parisian street scenes, rendered this scene titled “Gathering Flowers” with oil paint. The plein-air execution really adds to the piece, doesn't it? Editor: Yes! I adore that Gilbert has captured that airy, outdoor feeling so well. The sunlight bouncing off everything, those little blooms the girls are picking... It almost feels like a photograph. But warmer, somehow. I suppose capturing fleeting moments and fleeting scenes, especially those depicting contemporary society, helped build Gilbert's fame, no? Curator: Exactly. Genre paintings like these allowed artists to capture ordinary life with almost documentary detail, as photography developed further. These depictions are far from neutral; consider the values they reinforce! Victor Gabriel Gilbert found enormous commercial success from depicting an idealized view of Parisian life. Editor: You can smell the blossoms and sunshine—it takes me back to childhood memories, simple joys like gathering flowers on summer afternoons, an ideal era before technology consumed children. Do you find these idyllic paintings a means for wealthy classes to look down at their past, but maybe not fully grasp the daily lives of many young people from those times? Curator: Exactly! It can be hard to divorce this nostalgic prettiness from its inherent biases and the social realities of Gilbert's time. The popularity of images like "Gathering Flowers" does rely on very selective memory. Still, even with those critiques, the light, colour, and air is quite moving to experience, at least in this brief exposure. Editor: Yes, regardless, “Gathering Flowers” reminds me to celebrate the little things... Curator: ...while acknowledging a painting’s impact reflects and perpetuates our existing world, today.