Physical description
A wooded landscape with tall trees and a village in the distance by twilight, in the foreground is a meadow brook in the shade and one or two sketchy figures.
Place of Origin
France (painted)
Date
ca. 1855-ca. 1860 (painted)
Artist/maker
Corot, Jean-Baptiste-Camille, born 1796 - died 1875 (artist)
Materials and Techniques
oil on panel
Marks and inscriptions
'Corot'
Dimensions
Height: 42 cm estimate, Width: 29 cm estimate
Object history note
Possibly Le Soir au Vallon (Robaut, ii., n. 1205) with Durand-Ruel in 1876 (but this was apparently signed on the right-hand side); Coll. 'Maxwell' (possibly Andrew Maxwell, a Glasgow collector), from whom purchased on 21 July 1881 as Corot 'Crêpuscle' by Goupil & Co., Paris (stock book no. 15577); from whom bought by Constantine Alexander Ionides, 21 July 1881; listed in his inventory (private collection) in November 1881 at a valuation of £210; bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides to the Museum in 1900.
Historical significance: This painting is typical of Corot's later period when he painted enigmatic landscape in a diffuse atmosphere as an invitation to personal reverie. The present painting shows a meadow brook among tall trees with a distant village in the background. One or two sketchy figures appear in the foreground.
This painting corresponds to the description of the Soir au vallon provide by Robaut in his catalogue raisonné (1905, II, no. 1205) but it is stated to have been signed on the right hand-side whereas CAI.65 is signed on the left hand-side.
This painting shows a diffuse however bright light Corot was famous for. He often painted superimposed areas of shade and light which provide a strong contrast.
This compositional formula was based on his direct observation of nature but also re-elaborated in his studio. This artistic practice derived from his master's dictum, Michallon, to paint out of doors directly from the motif but was also inspired by the landscapes of Claude Lorrain (1604-1682) and 17th-century Dutch masters.
Corot's reputation was bolstered after 1846 by Baudelaire's warm criticism and his popularity grew then rapidly. By the early 1850s Corot's reputation was firmly established, and he moved away from landscapes in the Neo-classical style to concentrate on rendering his impressions of nature.
X-ray photography shows this composition was painted over another scene depicting a bridge, a diagonal tree and a cottage. The re-use of a previously painted panel has been a common practice since the Renaissance. The severe cracking is the result of Corot painting over this scene before it had completely dried.
Historical context note
Although France and England became the new centres of landscape art in the 18th century, the Italian and Dutch traditions retained their authority. However the Arcadian vision of Italy increasingly tended towards a more precise observation of nature. Some of the most exciting developments took place in Venice, in the soft scenes of Francesco Zuccarelli (1702-1788), inspired by Claude Lorrain (1604-1682), and the fresh, spontaneous landscapes of Marco Ricci (1676-1730). Wealthy patrons, often accompanied by artists, on The Grand Tour, created a market for veduta and capriccio paintings, respectively topographical and fantasist landscape paintings. Landscape conventions were further enriched by foreign artists working in Italy, responding both to the beauty of Italian light and scenery celebrated by the Latin poets and vividly captured in the most popular landscapes of Claude Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) and Gaspard Dughet (1615-1675).
Descriptive line
Oil painting, 'Twilight: Landscape with Tall Trees and Female Figure', Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, ca. 1855-ca. 1860
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
C.M. Kauffmann, Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, II. 1800-1900, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, p. 20, cat. no. 51.
The following is the full text of the entry:
Jean Baptiste Camille COROT (1796-1875)
French School
Born in Paris, he began painting full-time in 1822, studying with the classicizing landscape painters Achille Michallon and Victor Bertin. He worked out of doors in Fontainebleau and elsewhere until his visit to Italy in 1825-28, which transformed his style. He visited Italy again in 1834 and 1843 but most of the rest of his life was spent in Paris and its environs and at Fontainebleau, where, from the turn of the mid-century, he frequently met the artists of the Barbizon group. His style remained a mixture of Italian classicism and Barbizon realism. He exhibited in the Salon from 1827, gradually achieved recognition, receiving official commissions from the 1840s and being made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1846.
Lit. A. Robaut and E. Moreau-Nelaton, L'oeuvre de Corot, Paris, 1905; G. Bazin, Corot, rev. ed., Paris, 1951.
51
TWILIGHT: LANDSCAPE WITH TALL TREES AND FEMALE FIGURE
Signed lower left COROT
Canvas
16 ½ x 11 ½ (42 x 29)
Ionides Bequest
CAI.65
This could well be identical with Le Soir au Vallon, Robaut, ii, p. 378 f, no. 1205, 40 x 29 cm., which belonged to Durand-Ruel in 1876, but it is stated to have been signed on the right-hand side. Whether this identification can be upheld or not, the date assigned by Robaut to no. 1205, ca. 1855-60, can well be applied to this painting also.
Condition. The surface is covered by network of thin white cracks.
Prov. Apparently acquired by Constantine Alexander Ionides between 1884 and 1889; bequeathed to the Museum in 1900.
Exh. French and Dutch Romanticists, Dowdeswell Galleries, 1889, no. 36.
Lit. Cf. A. Robaut, L'oeuvre de Corot, ii, 1905, p. 378 f., no. 1205; Sir C. Holmes in Burl. Mag., vi, 1904-05, P.31, repr.; Long, Cat. Ionides Coll., 1925, p. 12; V.&A. Museum, The Barbizon School, 1965, p. 15, pl. 1.
A. Robaut and E. Moreau-Nelaton, L'oeuvre de Corot, vol. ii, Paris, 1905, p. 378 f., no. 1205.
Sir C. Holmes in Burlington Magazine, vi, 1904-05, p. 31., repr.
Kauffmann, C. M., The Barbizon School, V&A Museum, 1965, p. 15, pl. 1.
B.S. Long, Catalogue of the Constantine Alexander Ionides collection. Vol. 1, Paintings in oil, tempera and water-colour, together with certain of the drawings, London, 1925, p. 12.
Evans, M., with N. Costaras and C. Richardson, John Constable. Oil Sketches from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A, 2011, p. 29, fig. 24.
Exhibition History
French and Dutch Romanticists (Dowdeswell Galleries 01/01/1889-31/12/1889)
Materials
Oil paint; Panel
Techniques
Oil painting
Subjects depicted
Landscape; Tree; Figure; Village; Meadow
Categories
Paintings
Collection code
PDP
