Seine Landscape near Chatou

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corotaround 1855

Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Berlin, Germany

In contrast to the powerful realism of light that characterized the first half of his oeuvre, after 1850 much of Corot’s work was devoted to dream-like depictions of atmospheric evenings with water reflecting mild light and subtle transitions from silver-grey to green. Even when particular places are portrayed — Chatou is not far from the painter’s parental home in Ville-d’Avray — Corot still interpreted these, as he himself said, “as much with my heart as with my eyes.”

Show lessRead more

Details

Title: Seine Landscape near Chatou
Creator: Camille Corot
Date Created: around 1855
Physical Dimensions: w64.0 x h37.0 cm
Type: Painting
original title: La Seine a Chatou
Technique and material: Oil on canvas
Inv.-No.: A II 973
ISIL-No.: DE-MUS-815114
External link: Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Copyrights: Text: © Prestel Verlag / Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Photo: © b p k - Photo Agency / Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Jörg P. Anders
Collection: Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Artist biography: Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot was a French landscape painter, printmaker in etching and the leading representative of the Barbizon School of France. During his youth he showed little interest in painting, but in 1821 he turned to oil painting and immediately began with landscapes. He could afford to dedicate himself entirely to art due to his wealthy background. For two years he studied with Achille-Etna Michallon who had a great impact on his compositions. After Michallon’s death in 1822, Corot studied with his teacher, Jean-Victor Bertin. Between 1825 and 1828 he lived in Italy, an extremely productive time during which he truly found his style. Well into his later years, Corot’s style continued to be distinguished by his choice of subject (a mixture of peasant figures with mythological ones), as well as his merging of Neoclassicism with realism, often rendered in a style that vitally anticipated the brushwork of the Impressionists. In addition to landscapes he created several valued figure pictures, portraits and nudes. 'The Bridge at Narni' (1826), Venise, 'La Piazzetta' (1835) as well as 'Woman with the Pearl' (1868–70) rank among his most famous compositions.
Artist Place of Death: Paris, France
Artist Place of Birth: Paris, France
Artist Dates: 1796-07-17/1875-02-22