Constant Troyon (1810-1865) - Peasant woman and her child
Original Regency-style wood and gilded stucco frame
Dimensions : H. 32 x W. 24 cm (with frame: H. 46 x W. 38 cm)
Born in 1810, Constant Troyon received a neoclassical education. He presented his first works at the Salon of 1833. He quickly developed an interest in realistic landscape painting, with numerous studies in the woods of Meudon, Compiègne and Saint-Cloud.
After meeting Jules Dupré, Constant Troyon was irrevocably drawn to naturalism. Alongside Théodore Rousseau, Camille Corot and Narcisse Diaz de la Peña, he took part in the plein-air painting of the Fontainebleau forest, becoming one of the painters behind the Barbizon School. While remaining loyal to his friends, he nevertheless turned his attention to animal painting, which met with great success.
In 1846, he discovered 17th-century Dutch landscape painters such as Paulus Potter and Albert Cuyp. Troyon made domestic animals the main subject of his paintings. His talent as a realist painter was rewarded after the Salon of 1849, when he was named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. Considered one of the greatest painters of his time, he had Eugène Boudin work in his studio. Troyon died at the age of 55, leaving behind a substantial body of work. He is one of the most represented 19th-century artists in museums. In 1867, the Institut de France created the Prix Constant Troyon, awarded annually to a painter under the age of thirty. Since 1875, the rue Troyon in Paris's 17th arrondissement has paid tribute to him.
Our painting: This lovely, perfectly composed subject reflects Troyon's love of simple rural scenes. The pictorial material is thick, with superimposed brushstrokes and skilful transparencies. Produced before 1840, this early work helps us understand how these naturalist painters, by breaking with neoclassicism, paved the way for modernity and Impressionism. The painting is in relatively good condition, with very minor restorations and some depigmentation in the foliage. It is presented in an original Regency-style frame in wood and gilded stucco.
Museums holding works by Constant Troyon
Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chartres, Calouste-Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Musée Faure in Aix-les-Bains, Musée de l'Oise in Beauvais, Musée Magnin in Dijon, Musée d'art moderne André-Malraux in Le Havre, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille, numerous paintings at the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay in Paris, Musée des Avelines in Saint-Cloud, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Budapest, Wallace Collection in London, Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg...
Chicago Art InstitutePâture in Normandy 1852
Constant Troyon 1810-1865
Oil on panel 38.5 × 55 cm