Rather than focusing on the glittering bourgeoisie…

Rather than focusing on the glittering bourgeoisie, Spanish-born painter Fernand Pelez turned his attention to the impoverished and downtrodden. Depicting the kind of scene also found in Naturalist novels such as Émile Zola’s 1887 L’assommoir, Pelez places a destitute, unhoused mother and children in front of tattered advertisements for the pleasures of modern Paris. This stark contrast undercuts simple narratives of prosperity and progress and asks viewers to consider the uneven experiences of modern life.