19th Century European Art
19th Century European Art
Property from a Private Collection, New York
Lot Closed
June 11, 04:18 PM GMT
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Private Collection, New York
JEAN-BAPTISTE-CAMILLE COROT
French
1796 - 1875
PAYSANNE SUR UN CHEMIN
signed COROT (lower left)
oil on canvas
canvas: 13 ¼ by 8 ¾ in.; 33.5 by 22.1 cm
framed: 17 ¾ by 13 ⅜ in.; 45 by 34 cm
M. Diot, Paris, no. 2369
Georges Petit, Paris, no. 3103
Private Collection, France
Private Collection
Pierre Dieterle, Martin Dieterle, Claire Lebeau, Corot, Cinquième Supplément à l'Oeuvre de Corot, Paris, 2002, p. 44, no. 40, illustrated p. 45
Executed circa 1850-55, Paysanne sur un chemin is a loosely painted landscape which is emblematic of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s mature style. A subtle exploration of tonal contrasts, painted with great naturalness and sensitivity, the artist here conjures a sun-dappled country path extending down a precipitous hillside, travelled by a peasant momentarily at rest. In contrast to Corot's souvenirs from this period - poetic reminiscences of a particular place distilled through the artist’s imagination - Paysanne sur un chemin is inspired by the artist’s more immediate experience of the French countryside and, if not painted in the open air, at least based on direct observation.
By the late 1850s Corot was enjoying critical and popular success. More than any other artist, Corot's work, such as Paysanne sur un chemin, represents the bridge between the classical landscape of Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) and early Impressionism. Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) described himself as a pupil of Corot in the Salon brochures as a measure of respect, and other Impressionists did the same.