Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 'Souvenir of a Journey to Coubron', 1873
About the work
Overview
The marshy pond in the left foreground blends into land rising to a small hill on the right, where two buildings are nestled behind a row of tall trees. In 1867 Corot made the first of many visits to Coubron, which lies to the east of Paris. During a visit in April 1873 he made a sketch in the nearby woods, from which he painted this view a month later, while staying in Ville-d’Avray.
It was not unusual for Corot to paint landscapes as souvenirs in this way, particularly during his later years. The handling is also typical of his late style. The landscape has an extremely thin first layer in grey-green, with the texture of the canvas showing throughout. The foliage has been rendered with a mass of horizontal strokes in milky greys and greens, creating the shimmering surface which is so characteristic of his mature work.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Souvenir of a Journey to Coubron
- Artist
- Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
- Artist dates
- 1796 - 1875
- Date made
- 1873
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 32.4 × 46 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Salting Bequest, 1910
- Inventory number
- NG2631
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Sarah Herring, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Nineteenth Century French Paintings’, vol. 1, ‘The Barbizon School’, London 2019; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2009Corot to Monet: A Fresh Look at Landscape from the CollectionThe National Gallery (London)8 July 2009 - 20 September 2009
Bibliography
-
1905A. Robaut, L'oeuvre de Corot: Catalogue raisonné et illustré, Paris 1905
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1906E.G. Halton, 'The Collection of Mr Alexander Young, I: The Corots', International Studio, XXX, 1906, pp. 3-22
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1957Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
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1970Davies, Martin, and Cecil Gould, National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists etc., London 1970
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2019Herring, Sarah, National Gallery Catalogues: The Nineteenth Century French Paintings, 1, The Barbizon School, London 2019
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.