Gezicht op de Butte: de molens

About this artwork

hoogte 81 mm x breedte 104 mm

Art Historical Context

Georges Michel’s “Gezicht op de Butte: de molens” offers an intimate glimpse of the windmills that once crowned the buttes surrounding Paris. Created on paper measuring just 81 by 104 millimeters, the small drawing captures the rural character of Montmartre and neighboring heights during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when these elevations still served as sites for milling grain rather than the bustling neighborhoods they would become. Michel, active from 1763 to 1843, specialized in landscape views that celebrated the dramatic skies and modest structures on the city’s outskirts. Working on paper allowed him to record such scenes quickly and directly, preserving the fleeting light and movement of clouds above the turning sails. His works helped shape an emerging appreciation for vernacular French scenery at a moment when industrialization was beginning to transform the countryside. Today the drawing invites viewers to imagine a Paris that has largely vanished, reminding us how swiftly urban expansion can erase once-familiar landmarks. Its modest scale encourages close looking, rewarding the visitor with a quiet sense of discovery.

About the Artist

Georges Michel · 1763–1843

Comment on works: Landscapes