The Avenue

About this work

You see a narrow Paris street on a gray day—people in long coats, a woman with a parasol, a man bent under a heavy sack. Vuillard painted this in 1899, when Paris was crowded and full of contrasts. The rich and poor share the same sidewalk, but he keeps them apart with soft edges and muted colors. No one looks at each other; they just pass by. Look up more paintings of France, 19th century to see how other artists showed city life.