Windmill of Sologne
1835
Medium
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Image: 19.7 × 14 cm (7 13/16 × 5 9/16 in.); Sheet: 29.4 × 22.4 cm (11 5/8 × 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
43731
Art Historical Context
Jules Dupré’s “Windmill of Sologne,” created in 1835, captures a quiet rural scene from the marshy plains of central France. Dupré, who would become a leading member of the Barbizon school, was already exploring the unvarnished beauty of the French countryside at this early date. Rather than dramatic vistas, the lithograph presents a modest windmill silhouetted against an open sky, emphasizing atmosphere and the rhythms of everyday rural life. Printed as a lithograph on paper, the work benefited from a medium that was newly popular in the 1830s for its ability to convey soft tones and fine de...
About the Artist
Jules Dupré · 1811–1889
Jules Dupré (1811–1889) was born in Nantes, France, on April 5, the son of a porcelain manufacturer. He began his artistic career in his father's factory before moving to paint porcelain at his uncle's china factory in Sèvres. Lacking formal training or a specific teacher, Dupré debuted at the Paris Salon in 1831, earning a second-class medal three years later. A pivotal trip to England in 1834 ex...