Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Tony Mayer (acquired in 1966)
Gallery Nichido, Tokyo
Acquired from the above by the present owner in the late 1970s

Alfred Robaut, L'Œuvre de Corot: catalogue raisonné et illustré, Paris, 1905, vol. II, no. 40, catalogued & illustrated

The colours in reality are much less red overall, and fresher than in the catalogue illustration. Oil on paper laid on canvas, which is ensuring a stable support. Ultra-violet light reveals a number of scattered small flecks of retouching in the sky. While the varnish layers over the trees and land fluoresces more opaquely, apart from a few very minor tiny spots and a possible old minor stroke below the signature, there do not appear to be notable retouchings in this area. The painting could benefit from a surface clean if desired, however it is otherwise in good overall condition and ready to hang. Presented in a decorative gilt frame, with a cloth-covered inner slip.
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Painted circa 1822-1830, Village derrière les arbres is an early work thought to depict the village of Carrières-Saint-Denis just west of Paris behind luxurious verdant foliage. The village, known today as Carrières-sur-Seine, was also painted by Claude Monet (fig. 1). Painted on paper to be portable, and later laid on canvas, the present work would have been painted outside en plein air. Corot dedicated most of his time to plein air painting, carefully observing every nuance and detail of his landscapes. In the present work, Corot captures his view with talented simplicity evocative of his Italian canvases of the same early period; using primarily just three colours, he relies on subtle modulations in tone to portray delicate variations in light and form. A fluid pallet of rich, dark greens dominates the painting, interrupted fleetingly by patches of yellow sunlight which cut across the composition. Smaller trees which are perfectly calculated in scale litter a hill-top in the distance, demonstrating Corot’s ability to convey perspective and adding a sense of depth to the work.