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Antoine Chintreuil, 'House on the cliffs near Fécamp', probably 1861

About the work

Overview

Fécamp is a fishing town on a part of the Normandy coast known for its high limestone cliffs. Chintreuil visited the area in 1861 and painted a number of open air oil studies on paper, including this one, which was later stuck down on canvas. Pinpricks in each corner of the paper suggest it was painted on site.

The vertical format is rather unusual for a landscape, but it allows Chintreuil to focus on the structure of the rocky coastline, from which the small houses seem to emerge. The very high horizon prefigures a compositional device used by Pissarro and Cezanne.

Chintreuil studied in the studio of Delaroche from 1842, but it was Corot, whom he met the following year, who encouraged him to paint outdoors. Normandy was a popular painting location for artists including Boudin and Impressionist painters, such as Monet, who had been working there since the mid-1850s. Although not an Impressionist, Chintreuil was similarly interested in capturing light and atmosphere.

Key facts

Details

Full title
House on the cliffs near Fécamp
Artist dates
1814 - 1873
Date made
probably 1861
Medium and support
oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Dimensions
41 × 31.7 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Bought by the Tate Gallery, 1928; transferred, 1956
Inventory number
NG4382
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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