1960.158.M Corot, Palluel, Boater in the Marshes

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot's love for landscape and light, his favorite subject matter throughout his career, began on childhood walks with a nature-loving, family friend. In the 1830s, Corot joined the Barbizon group of plein-air painters, and by 1850, his works moved toward more poetic views of nature. The appearance of light filtered by mist and fog in Northern France prompted him to experiment with blurred contours and values which became increasingly subtle, resulting in the silvery palette of his late work.

This painting was one of a series of studies of the "pretty swamps of Arleux, Paluel (sic), etc.," executed in the summer of 1871 and referred to by Corot in a letter to the widow of his artist-friend Constant Dutilleux. The painting was described by Robaut in his catalog raissoné (#2022) as "a study sketched in-a half hour from nature and finished by memory in another half hour." The little sketch is colored in the cool greyed hues typical of Corot's later landscapes.

DMA Label copy (1960.158.M), n.d.

Former title- Environs d’Arras- from the 1881 exhibition listed on Emily Vokt, DMA Research document, May 2001.

Label copy in TMS- to be archived as a text entry-

Dorothy Kosinski, Before Impressionism: French 19th-Century Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, August 27, 2004- January 2, 2005.

“I want the spectator who looks at my canvas . . . to feel the impression of the movement of things.”

—Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French painter, reprinted in Corot raconté par liu-même par ses amis, edited by Pierre Courthion, 1946

“This is not a landscape painter, this is the very poet of landscape . . . who breathes the sadness and joys of nature . . . . The bond, the great bond that makes us the brothers of brooks and trees, he sees it.”

—Théodore de Banville, French poet, dramatist, and critic, in “Le Salon de 1861,” Revue fantaisiste, 1861

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DMA label copy (1960.158.M), n.d. transcribed from the Collections Records Object File. 

At age twenty-six, Corot began his formal training under the French painter Michallon, and later Michallon's teacher Bertin. From them and during a stay in Rome, he learned the classical compositions and subjective realism which formed the basis for his early landscapes. His love for landscape and light, favorite subject matter throughout his career, began on childhood walks with a nature-loving family friend. In the 1830's, Corot joined the Barbizon group of plein-air painters, and by 1850, his works moved toward more poetic views of nature. The subtlety of light filtered by mist and fog in Northern France prompted him to experiment with blurred contours and values which became increasingly subtle, resulting in the silvery palette of his late work.

This painting was one of a series of studies of the "pretty swamps of Arleux, Paluel (sic), etc.," executed in the summer of 1871 and referred to by Corot in a letter to the widow of his artist-friend Constant Dutilleux. The painting was described by Robaut in his catalog raissoné (#2022) as "a study sketched in-a half hour from nature and finished by memory in another half hour." The little sketch is colored in the cool greyed hues typical of Corot's later landscapes.

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Label copy from "Paintings from the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Storage," University Gallery, Southern methodist University, November 21, 1976- December 26, 1976.

In the 1830's, Corot joined the Barbizon group of pein-air painters, but by the 1850s, his works had evolved toward a more personal and poetic view of nature, This small painting, executed in July of 1871, is one of a series of sketches quickly made out-of-doors and then finished in the studio. The series is referred to by Corot in a letter to the widow of his artist-friend Dutilleux. It is catalogued as No. 2022 in Robaut's catalogue raisonné of Corot's work.

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P.F.R., DMA research document (1960.158.M), Collections Records Object File, n.d.

Corot's love for the landscape, the subject matter for which he was to become famous in the mid-nineteenth century, began on his childhood nature walks and continued throughout his life. Corot was born in 1796 and by 1817 began working as a draper's clerk. He was not a competent businessman, as he longed to become an artist. With great resignation, his father allowed him to go to Paris to study under Achille Michallon. Michallon advised Corot to paint what he saw outside in nature. In 1822 Michallon died, and Corot entered the studio of Jean-Victor Bertin. Under Bertin's influence, Corot painted in the tradition of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, two of France's most famous seventeenth-century landscape painters.

During the next three years Corot traveled throughout Italy painting the landscape and perfecting his technique and ability to render subtle values. In 1827 he returned to a small town outside of Paris, Ville d'Avary. Making this town his headquarters, he traveled throughout France with no other intention than to paint the landscape of his native country. By the 1840's Corot's talent was recognized: he sold a painting to the Departement des Beaux-Arts, received the Legion of Honor in 1846, was recognized by Delacroix in an article in Le Journal, won a first-class medal at the Paris World's Fair and in 1848 was made a member of the Salon jury.

In the 1850' s Corot began working as one of the Barbizon school of plein-air painters. During this time he preferred to paint during dusk and twilight when the softened light allowed his contours to become blurred and his values more subtle. His previously formal and precise compositions were being replaced by poetic works which were marked by a skillful ability to capture on canvas the most subtle forms, colors and atmospheric effects.

It has been said that Corot's finest works date from the 1860's and 1870's. Early in 1871 Corot was working at the peak of his career, and he had completed one of his most successful works, The Belfry at Douai. The D.M.F.A. painting by Corot, Palluel, Boater in Marshes, dates from July of 1871. It is one of a group of studies which Corot executed during a brief visit to northern France. Upon returning to his home near Paris, he wrote to a friend about the pretty boats, trees and marshes near Palluel. It has been said that the D.M.F.A. work was sketched out of doors from nature in about a half hour and then finished from memory in the studio in another half hour. In the small painting Corot captured the sublety of light filtered by mist and fog which he found in the northern marshes. The boater in the foreground, leaning forward to pole his flat boat, is silhouetted against the silvery water of

the pond. The mood of the painting evokes a feeling of quiet and solitude, with its still waters and soft feathery foliage of the small trees in the foreground. Daubs of paint along the low horizon line hint at the small houses and trees of the area. Broadly painted strokes of blues, silvers, and whites illuminate the sky. Even this small study is evidence of Corot's ability in his late work to render the atmospheric subject matter of his beloved French landscape in a minimun of brushwork.

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Corot was born in Paris on July 17, 1796. He began his business career in 1817 as a draper's clerk. He was not very competent and a dreamer who longed to become a painter. His father, with great resignation, said he could go to Paris to paint in Achille Michallon's studio. Michallon's advice was: Paint what you see- from nature. After Michallon died, Corot entered Victor Bertin's classes. Under Bertin's influence he became a follower of Poussin and of Claude Lorrain. From 1822 to 1825 Corot completed many little landscapes of Ville d'Avray, Rouen and the suburbs of Paris. During the next three years he traveled through Italy. In 1827 the Salon exhibited two of his paintings. A year later he returned to the Ville d'Avray which remained his headquarters during all of his many wanderings in the years which followed. In 1840, the Departement des Beaux-Arts bought the Little Shepherd his first important sale. He was becoming more successful; he received the Legion of Honor in 1846; Delacroix recognized his talent in an article in Le Journal; and he won a first-class medal at the Paris World's Fair. It is said that Corot's richest and greatest works were produced between the years 1860 and 1870, and it was certain that he was popular and successful. The collectors were beginning to buy his paintings. During the war in 1870 Corot lived with his sister at Ville d'Avray, where he painted pictures to be sold for the war benefit production. In 1872 he was elected a member of the Federation des Artistes, together with Manet, Daumier, and Millet. His last Salon acceptance was in 1874. Corot then became ill and returned to Paris, where he died on February 22, 1875.

Palleul, Batelier dansles Marais is painted in a realistic vein. The fleeting quality of light on the water shows a keen sense of observation and truthfulness. Every detail contributes to the over-all impression. Corot's mastery is particularly apparent in the evocative quality of his human figure. Though briefly sketched, he conveys all the intentness of the man at work, rendered only in a few strokes. There is no question that Corot was especially drawn to the spectacle of serene waters surrounded by trees. Robaut (number 2022) describes this painting as having been done in only a half hour from nature and finished in a half hour in the studio.

Former provenance- pasted below for archival purposes until draft is routed.

Until 1881:  P.L. Everard, Paris

1881:  his (deceased) sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, March 31, 1881, lot 18, for 4,500 francs

After 1881:  Barbedienne, Paris [1]

1914:  sale X, Paris, May 15, 1914, no. 18 [2]

After 1914:  Prevet Collection, possibly purchased from the above [3]

n.d.:  his (deceased) sale, for 8,700 francs [4]

Before 1919:  with Boussod, Valadon & Co., Paris [5]

Until 1960:  J. Bell, PA.

1960:  Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, acquired from his estate sale, McClees Gallery, Haverford, PA, June 1960 [6]

From 1960:  Dallas Art Association, Munger Fund, acquired from the above [7], [8]

[1]  The provenance  given here is taken from a fax from Martin Dieterle (dated May, 2001, copy in object file) to Dr. Eik Khang, Assistant Curator of European Art at Dallas Museum of Art.

[2]  See note 1.

[3]  See note 1.

[4]  See note 1.

[5]  According to a letter from Hillary Harvey (dated July 26, 2000, in object file), Assistant to the Director, European Art, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, to Dr. Eik Khang, Assistant Curator of European Art at Dallas Museum of Art , the painting was with Boussod, Valdon & Co., Paris. Although there is no precise date, according to the National Gallery of Art database, the gallery closed in 1919 and its’ collections were sold at auction at George Petit, therefore, it can be assumed Boussod, Valdon & Co. had the work prior to 1919.

[6]  According to the letter from Hillary Harvey (2000), the painting was acquired “from the estate of J. Bell, through the McClees Gallery”. 

[7]  The Dallas Arts Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

[8]  Works of art purchased by the Mrs. Stephen I. Munger Endowment are placed in the custody of the Dallas Museum of Art for the purpose of exhibition. The title to all works of art purchased by the Munger Fund remains with the Fund.

Munger Fund

depicted location- Palluel (France): TGN: 7617061

place of origin- Palluel (France)

oil paint

canvas

boat

buildings

figure

fisherman

landscape

marsh

pond

trees

sky

clouds

blue

horizon line

plein-air

Until 1881:  P.L. Everard, Paris

1881:  his (deceased) sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, March 31, 1881, lot 18 (as Environs d’Arras), for 4,500 francs

After 1881:  Barbedienne, Paris [1]

1914:  sale X, Paris, May 15, 1914, no. 18 [2]

After 1914:  Prevet Collection, possibly purchased from the above [3]

n.d.:  his (deceased) sale, for 8,700 francs [4]

Before 1919:  with Boussod, Valadon & Co., Paris [5]

Until 1960:  J. Bell, PA.

1960:  Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, acquired from his estate sale, McClees Gallery, Haverford, PA, June 1960 [6]

From 1960:  Dallas Art Association, Munger Fund, acquired from the above [7], [8]

[1]  The provenance  given here is taken from a fax from Martin Dieterle (dated May, 2001, copy in object file) to Dr. Eik Khang, Assistant Curator of European Art at Dallas Museum of Art.

[2]  See note 1.

[3]  See note 1.

[4]  See note 1.

[5]  According to a letter from Hillary Harvey (dated July 26, 2000, in object file), Assistant to the Director, European Art, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, to Dr. Eik Khang, Assistant Curator of European Art at Dallas Museum of Art, the painting was with Boussod, Valdon & Co., Paris. Although there is no precise date, according to the National Gallery of Art database, the gallery closed in 1919 and its’ collections were sold at auction at George Petit, therefore, it can be assumed Boussod, Valdon & Co. had the work prior to 1919.

[6]  According to the letter from Hillary Harvey (see note 5), the painting was acquired “from the estate of J. Bell, through the McClees Gallery”. 

[7]  The Dallas Arts Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

[8]  Works of art purchased by the Mrs. Stephen I. Munger Endowment are placed in the custody of the Dallas Museum of Art for the purpose of exhibition. The title to all works of art purchased by the Munger Fund remains with the Fund.

Apply to objects where number equals 1960.158.M