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Théodore Rousseau, 'The Valley of Saint-Vincent', 1830

About the work

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 brush. The view is in the Cantal region of the Auvergne, where Rousseau spent several months in 1830. The valley depicted here, through which the river Mars runs, is home to a number of villages, including Saint-Vincent-de-Salers.

One of the principal summits of the Cantal region, the Puy Mary, is at the centre. To its left lies the small peak of the Puy de Peyre Ares, and the pointed peak to the right is the Col de Redondet. In common with Rousseau’s other studies from this visit, this view was painted on paper in the open air.

Key facts

Full title
The Valley of Saint-Vincent
Artist
Théodore Rousseau
Artist dates
1812 - 1867
Date made
1830
Medium and support
oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Dimensions
18.2 × 32.4 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1918
Inventory number
NG3296
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
19th-century French Frame

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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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
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River Scene
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On display elsewhere