Landscape (The Large Tree)

This hazy landscape enveloped by spreading branches and foliage is typical of the technique, style, and mood of Camille Corot's late work. After 1850 he often employed charcoal to create long, curving lines and used stumping (the manipulation of the medium with a piece of tightly rolled cloth or leather) to achieve atmospheric effects. Corot did not intend to represent a specific place. Instead, he created a poetic interpretation of nature based upon his many years observing the countryside in both France and Italy. The soft veil of leafy branches suggests the filter of memory and imagination through which the artist developed his mature vision of landscape.