Under the Trees
Constant TROYON
(French, 1810-1865)
Under the Trees
Dateca. 1847
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsoverall: 28 3/4 × 36 1/4 in. (73 × 92.1 cm)
frame: 35 3/8 × 43 × 3 in. (89.9 × 109.2 × 7.6 cm)
crate: 59 × 63 × 19 in. (149.9 × 160 × 48.3 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Michael and Jan Schwartz
Object number2005.93.5
Subject(s)
- landscape
- animal
- bird
Collection
- 19th century French
On View
Not on viewLabel TextThough not as well remembered today as his fellow Barbizon school painters Corot and Rousseau, Troyon was actually one of Europe’s most decorated painters by the 1840s. This painting was likely done, if not entirely outdoors in the Fontainebleau forest, most likely on the basis of sketches executed on the spot, and bears all of the hallmarks of Troyon’s achievement. We are instantly attracted to the cooling atmosphere generated by the majestic oak tree and the glassy pond over which its limbs extend, joining the workmen who have paused from their labor for a moment’s respite. Largely self-taught, Troyon developed a fluid brushwork that animates the canvas surface. His cloud-filled skies recall those of the British painter, John Constable (1776-1837), who enjoyed a kind of vogue among French painters of Troyon’s generation.
