An Early Summer Morning in the Forest of Fontainebleau
probably 1861
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
15 x 23 5/8 in. (38.1 x 60 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
Accession Number
14.40.814
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the tranquil world of Théodore Rousseau's *An Early Summer Morning in the Forest of Fontainebleau (probably 1861), a gem of the Barbizon School Rousseau, a pioneering French landscape painter, championed realism over romantic idealization, drawing inspiration from the ancient oaks and sun-dappled glades of Fontainebleau Forest south of Paris. This area was a haven for artists seeking nature's unvarnished beauty, influencing the shift toward plein-air painting that paved the way for Impressionism. Painted in oil on wood—a compact panel format ideal for Rousseau's meticulous studies o...
About the Artist
Théodore Rousseau · 1812–1867
Théodore Rousseau (1812–1867) was a French landscape painter and the leading figure of the Barbizon School, the group of artists who settled in the village of Barbizon near the Forest of Fontainebleau to paint directly from nature. Born in Paris, he showed precocious talent and studied under the academic painters Charles Rémond and Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, but quickly rejected classical landsca...