Ploughed Field Bordered by Trees c. 1892

Editor: This is Degas' *Ploughed Field Bordered by Trees*, circa 1892, created using pastel. It's quite a departure from his dancers! I'm struck by the somber mood and the way the field dominates the composition. What do you see in this piece that helps us understand Degas differently? Curator: It's important to note how Degas, traditionally associated with interior spaces and figures of the Parisian ballet, engages with landscape here. While seemingly a simple scene, it participates in a larger artistic and social discourse. What statement is Degas making by depicting rural life at a time when industrialization and urbanization were rapidly changing French society? Editor: I see it as a potentially nostalgic view, perhaps showing what’s being lost? The focus is entirely on nature, there is no evidence of the city creeping in. Curator: Precisely! Consider also that during this period, the art market increasingly catered to bourgeois tastes. Artists like Degas, through their dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, found themselves negotiating between artistic integrity and commercial demands. This landscape then, can be interpreted as both an artistic exploration and a potential marketing strategy aimed at those seeking idealized versions of nature removed from the anxieties of modern urban existence. Do you see that influencing his choices in technique, such as the use of pastel? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. The soft edges of the pastels soften any harshness, making it quite appealing. This wasn't just Degas painting nature; it was Degas *selling* nature, perhaps. Thanks, I wouldn’t have picked that up without your guidance. Curator: It underscores how deeply intertwined art is with its social and economic context, something easy to overlook in what seems to be simply a pretty picture.