As people moved to the cities in search of work, the countryside took on new meaning.
c. 1840 - 1900
Beginner's guide
The Industrial Revolution fundamentally changed the way people lived and interacted.
videos + essays
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Xu Bing on Jean-François Millet’s Haystacks: Autumn
Contemporary artist Xu Bing connects his art training in China's rural areas with Millet's passion and respect for the farmer and nature in this painting
Daumier, Rue Transnonain
Daumier's Rue Transnonain stands alone for its brutal tone and unflinching commentary on a Parisian uprising that had occurred on April 13, 1834.
Better Know: Manet’s Bar
You've likely seen this glassy-eyed late 19th Century barmaid before, but what can we make of this painting today?
Édouard Manet, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Manet turns the tables—or in this case, the bar—on how we view painting.
Gustave Courbet, A Burial at Ornans
They wanted an epic Biblical image, or one from a Greek myth. He gave them a painting of a modern-day funeral.
Édouard Manet, Olympia
Manet decided to replace the idealized female nude with the image of a known prostitute. It didn’t go so well.
Édouard Manet, Plum Brandy
The subject of this painting is breaking almost as many taboos as the artist who painted it.
Édouard Manet, In the Conservatory
The greenery surrounding this couple is lush and exotic, but it’s clear that there’s trouble in paradise.
Jean-François Millet, L’Angélus
This sentimental scene of a quiet moment of prayer in the fields reflects a nostalgia for religion in modern France.
Rosa Bonheur, Sheep in the Highlands
Before the artist could paint this pastoral scene, she had to petition the government… for the right to wear pants.
Rosa Bonheur, Plowing in the Nivernais (or The First Dressing)
Rosa Bonheur defies the patriarchy, one masterfully painted ox at a time.
Édouard Manet, Corner of a Café-Concert
A waitress masters the modern art of multitasking in this lively, bustling bar scene.
