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Théodore Rousseau, 'River Scene', about 1840-60

About the work

In the middle distance, a solitary figure fishes from a flat-bottomed boat or punt moored in an inlet of water, which may be part of a river estuary. Although there are trees, the landscape is flat and marshy with small rivulets running through it. The thin strip of grey-blue on the horizon suggests a further expanse of open water, perhaps a wide river or the sea. The absence of dramatic or picturesque effects enhances the slightly melancholic mood.

The picture is similar to Rousseau’s river landscapes of the 1850s, which were all studio compositions based on scenery along the west coast of France. It is likely he painted it in the studio as a souvenir of visits to the Loire river, or perhaps to the Lay river in the Vendée.

Key facts

Full title
River Scene
Artist
Théodore Rousseau
Artist dates
1812 - 1867
Date made
about 1840-60
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
31.4 × 40.3 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Presented by Hans Velten, 1909
Inventory number
NG2439
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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A Rocky Landscape
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A sandy path runs down the middle of a rocky barren ravine. This view, with its high horizon and full-frontal close-up depiction of the path and rocks, is particularly original. The location is probably that of Les Sables du Jean-de-Paris, a sandy hillside topped with boulders and trees within th...
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Landscape
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This work, with its preliminary drawing left visible, is typical of Rousseau’s later style. In the distance a chain of hills is sketched in blue. A plain in the foreground is dappled in yellow, echoing the fragmented light of the sky. In the sky itself the thin application of blue paint leaves...
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Landscape with Stormy Sunset
Landscape with Stormy Sunset
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Under a stormy sunset sky a distant range of mountains is strung out along the horizon. In the foreground a figure stands at the edge of what is possibly an expanse of water. This view was probably painted in 1844, when Rousseau travelled with Jules-Louis Dupré to the Landes, a region south of Bo...
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The Valley of Saint-Vincent
The Valley of Saint-Vincent
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From the grassy outcrop in the left foreground there is a vertiginous drop into the valley, which in its sweep towards the menacing line of mountains in the distance fades from green to blue. The valley is criss-crossed with dark green tree lines, the trees conjured up out of small swirls of the...
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Moonlight: The Bathers
Moonlight: The Bathers
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On display elsewhere