4x5 transparency scanned on Hasselblad Flextight X1 by Ed Pollard-2013.

A Clearing in the Forest of Fontainebleau

Artist Théodore Rousseau (French, 1812 - 1867)

Dateca. 1860-62

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions32 1/2 x 57 1/4 in. (82.6 x 145.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 41 1/2 x 66 3/4 in. (105.4 x 169.5 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.2054

Terms

Forest
Landscape
Green
Blue
White
Brown
Barbizon
Barbizon

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting of a landscape. The horizon lies beneath the trees, one third from the base of the picture. The trees occupy the middle third and the blue sky with clouds the upper third. It is balanced by the presence of two large trees in the foreground, one on the left, one on the right. There is a path through the middle of the canvas in an "S" curve. The palette is primarily in sky blues and leaf greens.

Label TextThéodore Rousseau French, 1812–1867 A Clearing in the Forest of Fontainebleau, ca. 1860–62 Oil on canvas Just touched with red, the tiny figure far down the road is the only human presence in Théodore Rousseau’s luminous landscape. Celebrating nature above humankind, Rousseau was an outspoken naturalist who nurtured the Barbizon group’s enduring respect for the ancient woods of Fontainebleau. Here he conveys the clarity and dewy calm of a spring morning as the first rays of sun bathe the ancient oaks of the forest in a golden glow. The site depicted is the Carrefour de la Reine-Blanche—the Crossroads of the White Queen—a glade in the forest not far from Barbizon. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2054