Sunset from the Forest of Fontainebleau

1848

Théodore Rousseau

Associated Names
Théodore Rousseau

Artist, French, 1812 - 1867

This painting shows a serene landscape framed by trees under a sky filled with gray light. The tree trunks to the left and right are textured, and in the center there are cattle near a reflective body of water. Beyond, a pale gray field stretches on into the distance. The color palette is earthy browns, soft grays, and pale blue-greens, and the brushwork is expressive, with short, visible strokes.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on paper over black chalk or conté crayon, laid down on canvas, on stretcher

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Helen Porter and James T. Dyke

  • Dimensions

    overall: 32.2 x 45.9 cm (12 11/16 x 18 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2003.70.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private Collection, Sweden. (Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, LLC, New York); purchased 2003 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2002

  • Theodore Rousseau: The Language of Nature, Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, NY, 2002, no. 22.

  • L'Ecole de Barbizon: Peindre en plein air avant l'Impressionisme, Musée des Beaux Art, 2002, no. 96.

2004

  • Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2004 - 2005

2012

  • Color, Line, Light: French Drawings, Watercolors, and Pastels from Delacroix to Signac. Musée des impressionnismes Giverny and National Gallery of Art, Washington. Washington, 2012, 55, 159, no. 22 (color). (French title: De Delacroix à Signac: Dessins de la collection Dyke.)

Bibliography

2004

  • Grasselli, Margaret Morgan. "Théodore Rousseau, Sunset from the Forest of Fontainebleau," National Gallery of Art Bulletin, no. 31, Spring 2004, 9-10 (reproduced in color).

Wikidata ID

Q64633088

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