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The Pond (La Mare)

1855
Not on view
Painted during the artist’s most productive period, this landscape demonstrates Rousseau’s ability to paint naturalistic detail and vast receding space on a small scale. Rousseau renders a distant view of the wooded landscape as he sets the cattle, human figure, and trees on the far side of the pond. The luminous horizon peeks through the trees, giving light to details in the foreground such as patterns in the grass and reflections in the water.

Painted in a realistic rather than idealistic manner, this landscape’s subtle movement and gentle beauty are characteristic of Rousseau’s oeuvre. He later became associated with the Barbizon School, a group of artists who painted in and around the Forest of Fountainbleau.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Pond (La Mare)
  • Artist: Théodore Rousseau (French, Paris 1812–1867 Barbizon)
  • Date: 1855
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 13 1/2 × 20 3/8 in. (34.3 × 51.8 cm)
    Framed: 23 1/2 × 29 3/4 in. (59.7 × 75.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.205
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Autumn Landscape, Théodore Rousseau French, Brown ink and orange wash over graphite on heavy buff wove paper
Autumn Landscape
Théodore Rousseau
1855–65
Farmyard in Normandy, Théodore Rousseau French, Graphite and gray wash
Farmyard in Normandy
Théodore Rousseau
ca. 1831
Wheatfields, Théodore Rousseau French, Watercolor, over black chalk
Wheatfields
Théodore Rousseau
1865
An Alleyway between Houses, Théodore Rousseau French, Pen and ink over graphite, squared in graphite
An Alleyway between Houses
Théodore Rousseau
1858
Landscape (A Grove of Trees Standing Near a River), Théodore Rousseau French, Graphite on beige wove paper
Landscape (A Grove of Trees Standing Near a River)
Théodore Rousseau
1828–67

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