Edge of the Forest at Fontainebleau (Translation)
Lisiere de la Foret à Fontainebleau (Primary Title)
Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña, French, 1807 - 1876 (Artist)
This view of a sunlit clearing exemplifies the sous- bois (“under wood”) paintings that Diaz regularly made in and around the Forest of Fontainebleau, a sprawling area of old- growth trees and rugged terrain southeast of Paris. Using heavy brushwork, Diaz rendered the atmospheric effects of light piercing through branches and diffusing across the undergrowth. In the mid-19th century, Diaz joined a community of artists in the nearby village of Barbizon, where he produced naturalistic landscapes and scenes of rural life inspired by the direct study of the native French surroundings. A younger generation of artists, among them Claude Monet, were encouraged by such luminous compositions— and Diaz in turn supported their plein- air practice.
signed, lower left: "N Diaz 70"
Gift of Mrs. Donald G. Geddes
Nineteenth Century French and Russian Art: Works from the Collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, February 23 - April 27, 2014
Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA, November 28 - December 15, 1955
Lynchburg Art Center, Lynchburg, VA, March 26 -April 16, 1954
Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA, November 28 - December 15, 1955
Lynchburg Art Center, Lynchburg, VA, March 26 -April 16, 1954
Collection of Mrs. Donald G. Geddes; Gift to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond, Virginia in November of 1950. [1]
[1] Accessioned November 20, 1950. See VMFA Curatorial file.
[1] Accessioned November 20, 1950. See VMFA Curatorial file.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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