Detail of Ville d'Avray by Corot in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Ville d'Avray

Although Corot traveled extensively throughout France and Italy in search of motifs to paint, he frequently found subjects close at hand at his father’s estate in Ville d’Avray, south of Paris. Corot painted the village from a variety of viewpoints—here, he positions himself at the edge of one of its ponds. He gives a hint of the rhythms of rural life with various figures scattered through the canvas—most notably, the peasant who gathers rushes from the edge of the pool. As is typical of Corot’s work, the painting displays a hazy, almost smoky atmosphere of silvery grays and greens.

Artist: Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French, 1796-1875

Medium: Oil on canvas

Place Made: France

Dates: 1865

Dimensions: 20 3/4 x 32 1/4 in. (52.7 x 81.9 cm) Frame: 28 1/2 x 40 1/2 in.

Signature: Signed bottom left: "COROT"

Collections: European Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Beaux-Arts Court, South, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 51.10

Credit Line: Gift of Charlotte R. Stillman

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4756/Ville_...