Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 'Evening on the Lake', about 1872

It is the end of the day, and a fishing boat heads into a secluded inlet, guided by a lone figure in a distinctive red cap. To the right is a wooded promontory, the branches of the trees stretching out over the water. The far shore of the lake is indicated with a series of brushstrokes in light green paint, and misty hills lie beyond. It is a scene of stillness and peace. The sun’s last rays are caught by one or two of the clouds, but the overall light is pearly, and the blue sky fades to creams and pinks near the horizon. The gentle rippling of the water is rendered in long strokes of many colours, from greys, blues and purples to yellow-greens, olives and pinks.

This work encapsulates Corot’s mature style. Particularly characteristic is the complex area of sky and tree at the right. As was his habit, Corot painted the sky at a late stage, bringing it round and over the tree. Its branches, in a variety of browns and greens, are painted both under and on top of the sky paint. Among these branches the touches of olive-green and smoky, milky grey, extending down into the water, add a sense of mystery to this shadowed area.

This painting was once in the collection of leading British artist Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830–1896), who also owned Corot’s The Four Times of Day. Leighton was an early British collector of Corot’s landscapes, which he displayed in the drawing room of his London home, Leighton House, alongside works by Daubigny and such British landscapists as Constable.