7 - Camille COROT (Paris, 1796–1875)

Camille COROT (Paris, 1796–1875) The Pond with Wooded Shores, 1868 Oil on canvas 21 x 34 cm Signed “Corot” lower left Bears an old label on the back crossbar inscribed in red ink with “2223” A certificate from Mr. Martin Dieterle will be provided to the buyer Provenance: Sold by Corot to Tedesco in December 1868 (Tedesco Archives no. 2435) Sold to Francis Petit in 1892 (Archives no. 2223) Private collection, Lausanne Auction of Paintings, Furniture, and Works of Art, March 14, 2005, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Maître Rieunier et Associés, lot no. 23 Acquired at this auction by the current owner Bibliography: P. Dieterle and A. Pacitti, *The Work of Corot*, Paris 1992, p. 48, no. 35 Corot gradually broke away from his classical artistic training—particularly under his teacher Achille-Etna Michallon (1796–1822)—as he embarked on his various travels. During his first stay in Rome in the 1820s, he discovered a quality of light that he subsequently sought to capture in his works. There he produced a large number of sketches drawn from life, as well as painted studies, from which he would draw individual motifs to use in larger compositions created in his studio. Upon his return to France, he became close to the artists gathered in Barbizon and began working en plein air, setting up his easel in the open countryside to paint fully realized works. He then traveled to Switzerland, England, and the Netherlands, and explored various regions of France. Everywhere he went, Corot painted the landscapes he encountered from life. He won his first medal at the 1834 Salon and continued to exhibit there in the following years. With the support of Napoleon III, Corot distanced himself even further from academic art and increasingly worked by blending motifs from different sketches to create “souvenirs.” These dreamlike landscapes marked the beginning of Impressionist thought and established Corot as a precursor to the movement that would emerge a few years later. Our painting is a fine example of these dreamlike works: this landscape with a pond does not appear to be identifiable. It is more likely an imaginary view, created from various motifs, probably in the studio. Neither the trees in the composition nor the pond make it possible to identify the location. Here, Corot took pleasure in depicting a peaceful stroll through a lush green landscape, enlivened by a pond and a few cows; here he displays the full extent of his talent as a painter and observer of nature and its play of light, making this charming composition a work typical of his oeuvre.