Price on request

Paintings

artist

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot

period

1840-1845

materials

Oil on paper laid on canvas

technique

Oil painting

dimensions

27.5 cm x 37.5 cm

provenance

Signature trace lower right. Collection of the painter André Julien Prévost, France, circa 1873. Probably his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, May 24, 1887. Probably collection of Mme Marguerite Harth (1875-1951), wife of Alfred Pacquement (1872-1948), Paris. By descent to her daughter Germaine Pacquement, wife of Robert Trocmé (1887-1970), Paris, 1955 (according to a label on the back). Sale Paris, Audap & Mirabaud, June 17, 2015, lot 47. Acquired at this sale by the current owner. Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection.

This painting, dating from the years 1840-1845, shows a wooded landscape bathed in soft light. The sunlight shines through the leaves, projecting the shadows of the trunks of the slender trees on the ground. Jean-Baptiste Corot paints from nature with a vibrant brushstroke that brings life to the vegetation and where the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves seems to reach us. There are few clues to help us identify the location depicted. At its 1955 exhibition, the painting was titled Allée de sous-bois – circa 1840-1845, but when it came up for sale in 2015, Normandy was also suggested, but without further detail. This theory can be supported by comparing other works by Corot painted near Honfleur. One of them represents a tree-lined path near a clifftop. The slender trees, like the light, seem to connect the two works. Another painting (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art), also features this same sandy path beneath the trees, as well as a similar chromatic range. Our painting is a precious testament to the artist's intimate connection with nature, which he captured in all its harshness and raw light. Corot excelled at giving it a distinct texture, using his brush to capture the physical sensations of experiencing nature and thus managing to breathe a unique power into his landscapes.