Landscape at Sunset by Théodore Rousseau

Théodore Rousseau initially trained under the Neoclassical painters Jean-Charles Rémond and Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, whilst the artist was drawn to the landscapes of Auvergne, rather than those of Italy; he was also drawn to the Nordic painters and admired Constable and the English artists. The painter’s travels in Auvergne, the Jura and the Pyrenees gave him the opportunity to discover varied landscapes, which he studied en plein air, paying particular attention to the play of light. From the 1830s onwards, he worked regularly in the Forest of Fontainebleau and was recognised by critics for his talent from that time onwards, even though his work was rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon from 1836 to 1841.

Théodore Rousseau is now regarded as one of the founding members of the Barbizon School, a group of painters who found a common source of inspiration in the Forest of Fontainebleau, such as Camille Corot (1796–1875), Charles-François d’Aubigny (1817–1878) and Jean-François Millet (1814–1875).

From 1850 onwards, he enjoyed both critical and commercial success, as evidenced by purchases made by collectors such as Charles Blanc (1813–1882) and Paul Durant-Ruel (1831–1922). His poetic naturalism, centred on the themes of trees and light, was described by Baudelaire in his 1846 Salon review as that of a‘naturalist ceaselessly drawn towards the ideal’, which is why Rousseau came to be regarded as a precursor to the Impressionist movement.  

Aulteribe’s collection of paintings contains few landscapes, apart from the idyllic one by Etienne Allegrain—also a small-format work—whereas this genre is often well-represented in private collections, given its highly decorative nature. It is therefore somewhat surprising to see this particular choice, which was probably made by the couple Caroline Costaz and Arthur Onslow, the brother of Henriette Onslow, Marchioness of Pierre. Arthur Onslow (1832–1904) was himself a painter, active in Auvergne, and the uncle of the landscape painter Edouard Onslow (1830–1904).

The small format of the signed painting held at Aulteribe is quite common in Rousseau’s work, as is the depiction of twilight. In order to emphasise the landscape’s natural yet idyllic quality, the artist works with very small brushstrokes and an infinite variety of colour nuances, from the tangle of vegetation in the centre of the painting to the luminous opening in the sky, echoing that of the stretch of water in the foreground. The painting is striking for the way it is executed, in that the light falling on it can significantly alter the perception of its colours. Viewed in broad daylight with light coming from the right, the painting has a blue tone, whilst it takes on a pink hue in low light.

Vincent Pomarède, The Barbizon School: Painting in the Open Air before Impressionism, Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 2002.

Théodore Rousseau, 1812–1867: The Revival of Landscape Painting, exhibition catalogue, Meudon, Museum of Art and History, 23 February – 28 April 2013, Meudon, published by the Meudon Museum of Art and History, 2013.

Théodore Rousseau 1812–1867, Louvre Museum, Paris, France – 29 November 1967 – 12 February 1968, Paris, Louvre Museum, 1968.