Outskirts of Paris (Environs de Paris)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Rousseau worked as a customs clerk on the outskirts of Paris, and it's possible he has depicted this neighborhood here. Four people and a buggy move about a street, which is bordered by houses and a wall on either side and crossed by telephone wires overhead. Beyond the wall we see a church steeple and a monumental soufflé of clouds. Rousseau's embrace of popular visual culture, including postcards and the covers of adventure novels, fostered the dramatic graphic quality that makes scenes such as this one so distinctive.

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