French Naturalism

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, A Monk on a Country Road, 1845

French Naturalism is a movement that was very similar to Realism except the subject matter is not sociopolitical. Therefore, the style is more romantic than the style of Realism. French Naturalism became popular after 1850. The shift to a more romantic and idealized art form became favored because of the increase in population in cities as French citizens moved from rural to urban areas. Images of romanticized, peaceful rural life gained appeal. Restlessness brought about by the revolution of 1848 also boosted the popularity of French Naturalism. The traditional, never-changing country life was quite opposite to the radical, uneasy and changing political situation in Paris.

Corot was a popular naturalist painter. He painted serene country scenes. In A Monk on a Country Road, Corot depicts a scene of misty, pleasant weather. The Monk’s peaceful pace of travel invites the viewers onto the path, to follow with their imagination. The monk symbolizes never changing tradition - an image in which the viewer can take comfort.