Gardeuse d'oies nue (Nude Goose Girl) c. 1897

Camille Pissarro sketched ‘Nude Goose Girl’, using graphite on paper, during a time when the female nude was a contested site of social and artistic negotiation. Pissarro, who often depicted rural life, offers a curious twist here. Instead of the typical Venus, we see a working-class woman, her nudity devoid of the hyper-sexualization common in art of his time. The geese, symbols often associated with domesticity, are now under the watch of a nude figure, challenging conventional gender roles. Is Pissarro critiquing the objectification of women by presenting a nude figure so grounded in the everyday? While seemingly innocent, this piece may subtly question the societal norms that confined women, and particularly working-class women, to roles dictated by their gender and class. It invites us to consider the lived experiences of these women. We are left pondering: What does it mean to be both vulnerable and in charge, naked yet empowered?