Summary Of T. J. Clark The Environs Of Paris

In the reading “The Environs of Paris” by T.J. Clark, Clark speaks about Paris and the surrounding areas, Argenteuil in particular. Beginning in the 1860s, modernity was starting to take precedence. Throughout the reading, Clark provides insight on where examples of modernism may have been detected, if not by everyone, at least by the individuals that could stand to be in the presence of the petite bourgeoisie. These depictions were rare, and Clark sought out to investigate why this was so. The way a landscape painting was to be understood was particularly affected when the railway lines were laid down. The train gave citizens the chance to experience travel in a new manner which caused the landscape of the city to change. With the new additions to the city, Clark provided several examples as to how the environs of Paris affected artists as well as the casual observer.
There was no nature, he believed, where there were Parisians,” (Clark, 2007, p. 104). One of the many commentators mentioned, Monsieur Bartavel, was confused by what he saw. He felt as if the city and its surroundings were an illusion of sorts, what one saw was not what they were given. Instead of being welcomed with greenery and sun, he was presented with factories, rude individuals, and too much sun without any shade (Clark, 2007, p. 105). In addition to the changing landscape, there was also a struggle in determining what classified as bourgeois and what did not. The urge to redefine the middle class citizen was resisted as every individual did not know the true definition of Paris and what it entailed. This was deemed as ignorance, the ignorance was linked to vulgarity, and the trait of being vulgar caused said individual to become incapable of being called