The opening of Rue Réaumur 1896

Editor: Maximilien Luce’s "The Opening of Rue Réaumur," created in 1896 using oil paints, is such a busy scene. All of the activity of the people, the construction materials, it makes me think about how cities are always growing and changing. What stands out to you about the materiality and context of this piece? Curator: For me, it's the depiction of labour that’s most compelling. Look at how Luce captures the construction scaffolding, a temporary structure erected to facilitate the more permanent structures around it. These aren't romantic ruins. The workers are present, laboring on the facades of the buildings themselves, literally shaping the environment. It speaks to the material transformation of Paris during this era and the working class people who built that change. What do you think the inclusion of this scaffolding does to the scene? Editor: It adds a layer of, I don't know, realism, maybe? The raw construction juxtaposed with the finished buildings implies constant labour, not just an idealized image of a city, right? The scene is more like a manufacturing floor plan of everyday life rather than a polished tourist attraction. Curator: Precisely. Luce isn't just showing us a street, but the social and material processes that constitute urban existence. Even the paint application; the visible brushstrokes hint at the labour and artistic practice embedded in representing modern Paris. There's a connection between the act of painting and the act of building represented in the painting, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely. I was so focused on the crowd scene that I hadn't fully appreciated how much information the materials within the painting communicate on their own. This really changes how I view Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces, and think about their materiality. Curator: Seeing the means of production within the subject of a painting itself makes a valuable observation. Thanks for the insight!