Théodore Rousseau (French, 1812-1867)

Pierre-Etienne-Théodore Rousseau was a central figure in the renewal of landscape painting that radically changed the French art world during the 19th century. Rivière dans un ravin is infused with a profoundly romantic temperament and dates from a period when the young Rousseau became aware of the English romantic painters, particularly John Constable and Richard Parkes Bonnington, and 17th century Dutch landscape artists such as Jan van Goyen. The painting’s rich color and contrasting light provide a strong sense of local atmosphere, with a wealth of informative detail. Rousseau’s aim is to integrate the viewer into the panorama by incorporating a figure in the foreground silhouetted by the sunlit backdrop. The painting has a freshness, immediacy, and liveliness which suggests the artist started the work en plein air and then finished in his studio.