Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz de la Peña, 'Sunny Days in the Forest', probably 1850s
About the work
Overview
Two women gather sticks by a watery clearing in front of a group of trees. The trees are arranged in an arc, with the most prominent left of centre and the others set back on each side. The composition, which shows the influence of Théodore Rousseau, is typical of those used by Diaz in his views of the forest of Fontainebleau. The women, one in a white blouse and cap and red shawl, provide a decorative element, rather in the manner of Corot’s figures, adding a note of colour to the pervading green of the landscape.
The whole has many thick layers of paint, which may be because Diaz was emulating such Dutch seventeenth-century landscapists as Ruisdael. The trees are built up from dark to light, giving depth and three-dimensionality. The foliage is picked out with numerous touches of light paint, which gives an effect of dancing light.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Sunny Days in the Forest
- Artist dates
- 1807 - 1876
- Date made
- probably 1850s
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 39 × 56.2 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Charles Hartree, 1906
- Inventory number
- NG2058
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 19th-century French Frame (original frame)
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Sarah Herring, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Nineteenth Century French Paintings’, vol. 1, ‘The Barbizon School’, London 2019; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2009Corot to Monet: A Fresh Look at Landscape from the CollectionThe National Gallery (London)8 July 2009 - 20 September 2009
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2023Light and Soul, Early Impressions of the French LandscapeCooper Gallery23 June 2023 - 7 October 2023
Bibliography
-
1957Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
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1970Davies, Martin, and Cecil Gould, National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists etc., London 1970
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2006P. Miquel and R. Miquel, Narcisse Diaz de la Peña (1807–1876). Monographie et catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, 2 vols, Paris 2006
-
2019Herring, Sarah, National Gallery Catalogues: The Nineteenth Century French Paintings, 1, The Barbizon School, London 2019
Frame
This is a nineteenth-century French frame in a style associated with the Barbizon School. It exemplifies a revival of the Louis XIII style. Crafted from pinewood, it is adorned with composition moulding featuring a repeated leaf pattern interspersed with stemmed flowers and fleur-de-lis, culminating in acanthus leaves in the corners set against a diaper background. The water gilding highlights a highly burnished golden hollow, bordered by a band of centred husks. The back edge is embellished with an egg-and-dart motif, and an acanthus-leaf-and-shell motif decorates the sight edge.
The French Barbizon School of landscape painters, renowned for their depictions of the picturesque landscapes south of Paris, extended their artistic vision by adorning their small paintings with jewel-like frames, thereby enhancing their visual impact for exhibition. Made for Diaz’s Sunny Days in the Forest, this is considered the original frame for this painting.
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.
Images
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