Forest and River Landscape (Paisaje de Bosque y Río)

Landscape dominated by a large crag with a peasant girl heading into the forest, holding a small boy by the hand. A few cows are drinking from the river with a cowherd watching them.

The painter was born in Brussels and introduced Spain to the realistic landscapes of the second half of the 19th century. He influenced the foremost painters of the time and molded various followers out of his professorship at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando). He abandoned scenographic Romantic landscape conventions and began painting outdoors, carefully depicting what he saw. His brushstrokes are delicate and precise; he uses intense colors with bright skies.

As an outdoor painter, he produced many works depicting Aragonese landscapes, including a series on the Stone Monastery (Monasterio de Piedra).