Poetry of Daily Life

The tradition of depicting everyday life in art dates back to the 17th century in Europe, when artists turned away from idealized depictions of royalty and classical figures. These artists instead created representations of contemporary life and ordinary people, known as “genre painting." With the elimination of any imagined or idealized content, genre paintings were rooted in the reality of modern life. 

Since this period, artists have turned increasingly to the contemporary world as artistic inspiration. From photography to painting to fine art drawing, artists of diverse forms and styles look for the beauty in their present, lived reality as the principal source of inspiration for their work. Some of our current favorite artists inspired by the everyday include Jean-Christophe Béchet, whose photographs capture candid moments in both urban and natural settings, and Isabelle Lebret, who illustrates the poetry of the human form in her monochrome portrait paintings. Discover the works of these artists among many others inspired by the poetry of everyday life, today!