Campagne boisée (Wooded countryside)

1866. Etching on cream wove paper. 5 1/2 x 4 3/8 inches (138 x 110 mm), full margins. Third state (of 4). Light scattered age tone, and time stain. Scattered extremely light areas of minor spots of foxing at extreme sheet edge. Hard crease along lower sheet margin, appx 1/2 inch from sheet bottom. Inscription in pencil at sheet edge. Light pencil inscriptions on sheet edges, verso. All well outside of image area. Impression is richly inked with all of the fine lines printing clearly.

[Delteil 8iii]. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875) is an esteemed name in a very distinguished century for French art. Though best-known as a landscape painter, he was also a prolific and masterful printmaker. Renowned for bridging the Neoclassical tradition with Realism and a plein air approach, Corot struggled to gain acceptance amongst the European artistic establishment. He traveled extensively in Italy and France, finally settling in the Barbizon region, near Fountainbleu. It was here that his landscapes, all painted outdoors, appear to focus on mood and expression. His luminous and atmospheric landscapes are evidence oh his great admiration for the Impressionists. In addition, Wooded countryside is an excellent exemplar of the use of repoussoir elements, typifying the technique utilized by many romantic artists. This can be seen in the arrangement of trees in the foreground to frame a vista, inviting the viewer to contemplate the background, without featuring the foreground.