Gawkers: Art and Audience in Late Nineteenth-Century France

Gawkers explores how artists and writers in late nineteenth-century Paris represented the seductions,horrors,and banalities of street life through the eyes of curious viewers known as badauds, who were passive, collective, instinctive, and highly impressionable. Bridget Alsdorf examines the work of painters, printmakers, and filmmakers who made badauds their artistic subject, including Félix Vallotton, Pierre Bonnard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Honoré Daumier, Edgar Degas, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Eugène Carrière, Charles Angrand, and Auguste and Louise Lumière.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Gawkers delves into the captivating world of the urban spectator, evolving into the archetypal modern viewer and a central subject in late nineteenth-century French art. Artists and writers in Paris during this era sought to capture the diverse aspects of street life through the eyes of curious observers known as badauds. Unlike the singular and aloof bourgeois flâneur, badauds were characterized by their passive nature, collective mindset, instinctive reactions, and remarkable impressionability. Their primary fascination lay in visual experiences, eagerly absorbing the sights and scenes of everyday existence.

Beautifully illustrated and backed by extensive research, Gawkers uncovers the profound significance of badauds in late nineteenth-century French culture. These observers became motifs in various artistic works, including paintings, prints, and films, by renowned artists such as Félix Vallotton, Pierre Bonnard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Honoré Daumier, Edgar Degas, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Eugène Carrière, Charles Angrand, and Auguste and Louise Lumière. The gawkers portrayed by these artists span social categories, evoking a sense of identification from viewers while simultaneously challenging social responsibility and the integrity of art.

By exploring the ubiquity of this figure that has often been overlooked, Gawkers delves into the emergence of social and aesthetic issues that continue to resonate today. It sheds light on the complexities of human perception, the boundaries between observation and participation, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding the representation of reality. Through its insightful analysis, Gawkers offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of the modern viewer and the role of art in shaping our understanding of the world.

Weight: 1330g
Dimension: 215 x 277 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691166384