View of a Chateau (Chateau de Poillet)
1826 to 1850
Medium
etching and drypoint?
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5437
Art Historical Context
Alphonse Legros, a prominent French artist of the 19th century captures the serene grandeur of the Chateau de Poillet in evocative print, *View of a Chateau Created sometime between 1826 and1850, the work reflects the Romantic interest in picturesque landscapes and historic architecture, Legros's early mastery printmaking. As a key figure bridging Realism and etching traditions influenced by artists like Rembrandt, Legros often depicted French scenes with a keen eye for atmospheric detail, evoking a sense of timeless elegance amid the chateau's towers and surrounding grounds. The medium—etchi...
About the Artist
Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...