Bodies leaning into a shared task

The Towpath places a line of working figures low against a broad blue sky. Their forward bends and the repeated angles of their legs create a continuous movement across the narrow strip of ground. The open distance makes the bodily effort particularly clear without a crowded surrounding setting.

A street enclosed by high façades

The Ghetto of Florence looks along a narrow, occupied passage between tall buildings. Small figures and market objects fill the lower space, while the walls rise into a much lighter opening above. The strong enclosure gives the everyday activity a different scale from the exposed figures on the towpath.

The view through an architectural opening

Siena Cathedral frames a glimpse of pale buildings through an ornate pointed doorway. Shadowed stone surrounds the brighter view, with the carved edge becoming a subject in itself. Compare the defined opening with the less regular gap between the façades of the busy street scene.

Related artists and collections

Compare everyday streets in Jean-François Raffaëlli, working figures in Gustave Courbet and open-air observation in Camille Pissarro. Further architecture and cityscapes follows the buildings and passages, while figurative art develops the postures, tasks and encounters within the collection.

Read more in our Jean-François Raffaëlli’s everyday scenes.