670). The streets of Paris were stripped of trees that had been used for firewood, the animals in the zoos and the racehorses were slaughtered to feed the besieged city (Honour and Fleming 670). The bloody revolution of the Commune soon ended, closing the era of the Second Empire. After the destruction of 1870-71 was disposed of, Paris reclaimed its status as the ville lumiere, as it had been in the Second Empire (Honour and Fleming 670). In just four years, Pariss civil war memories were dimming and economic growth was being established once again, as Paris reclaimed its place as the centre of European art (Honour and Fleming 670). In this time of bloody revolutions, science was evolving to new heights. With scientific advancements, society would change to make room for these discoveries. The 1859 Origin of Species by Darwin revolutionized the way we think about evolution and human placement in the universe. New modes of surgery lowered mortality rates and new ways of food preservation helped ensure a better diet. Science was investigating how everything worked, developing new theories of atoms, electricity and optics which would effect the way everyone would live and exist in the centuries to come. This was a time of incredible change, that would continue for years afterwards. However looking at an Impressionist painting, we feel none of the turmoil of the Commune, none of the other revolutions occurring in other areas of society. As it was commonly said at the time, Plus ca change plus cest la meme chose (Honour and Fleming 656). Named in criticism, the Impressionists was a catch all for a fragile movement of men and women briefly united in their belief that the time had come for a new art to be #seen and appreciated (Handbook 15). Coming from diverse social backgrounds, they were all living in Paris and working together in a pivotal period of French history. They lived in an age of struggle between m...
