A vulgar subject, at least that is what the judges of the Paris Salon gave as an explanation for rejecting this painting. And they were right. This is not a high minded subject. No mythology or poetic reference to an eternal truth or anything. Instead we see these three men scraping a floor in a Parisian house. It’s probably the artists studio he had in his father’s house. It is hard work and hot in the middle of the day so the men have taken their shirts off. In the right hand corner there is s bottle and a glass of wine, furthering the impression that these men are French. Two of them have tilted their heads towards each other as if they are talking. They are probably wondering what to make of that strange man is standing in the doorway with his sketching paper. On some levels, it is actually surprising that this painting as rejected for the Salon, because it contains so many elements that were often admired by these judges. It shows human anatomy in a convincing way. We see the scene at an unusual angle which you could argue is a challenging way to compose a picture, and he worked out the perspective perfectly. But sadly, all the judges saw was a painting with a vulgar subject and not the brilliance that was right in front of them.
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For my video on Impressionism: • Impressionism
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