Paul Désiré Trouillebert Barbizon School French Landscape Oil Painting

This is an exceptional fine quality original 19th Century French Barbizon School Oil on Canvas Landscape Painting depicting an expansive rural river setting with a lone figure standing before a large woodland whilst observing a nearby small group of paddling Swans. This incredible painting is both dated (1862) and signed with wear around the signature which makes it difficult to read. The distinct brushwork and layout of the work suggests an original painting attributable to Paul Désiré Trouillebert (1829-1900). However in the absence of a clear signature the painting has been categorised as a work in the “ Circle of Trouillebert “ The painting is therefore priced accordingly at a very low price. Trouillebert is attached to the Barbizon school because of his predilection for the landscape motif as well as for his style. He trained with the renowned portraitist Ernest Hébert (1817-1908) and in the studio of Charles-François Jalabert (1819-1901). Trouillebert was first noticed for his portraits and nudes: the portrait of Mademoiselle A. allowed him to be accepted at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1865, where he exhibited until 1884. Trouillebert traveled extensively in France, notably in Brittany, the Loire and on the banks of the Seine. He was part of the movement of traditionalist plein air painters, as he stated in an interview with a journalist from L'Echo de Paris in 1890: "I only work from nature, I do not admit the study copied in the studio. " The painting is well presented in a moulded gallery frame and is offered in very good order commensurate with age having fine faint craquelure within the white clouds. Biography Paul Desire Trouillebert ( 29. April 1831 Paris - 28. June 1900 Paris ) He attended the École des Beaux-arts, where he studied under Antoine Auguste Ernest Hébert and Charles Jalabert. The young artist developed a passion for portraits and nude figure studies. He debuted at the Salon in Paris in 1865 with Portrait of Mademoiselle A. Shortly thereafter, Trouillebert received a near-continuous flow of portrait commissions from important clients. He was also renowned for completing a remarkable set of historical works that depicted the building of the railways around Paris in the 1880s. By the 1870s, Trouillebert, like many of his contemporaries, was inspired by the works of the Barbizon school. His oeuvre broadened to encompass the pastoral, riparian landscapes near and around Paris. Trouillebert depicted figures embedded in the surrounding landscape, sunsets over fields, and riverbanks bathed in the atmospheric morning light. He utilised a subtle, muted palette and often worked en Plein air and on the panel. Trouillebert drew inspiration from scenes of rural life as well as the rich folk traditions of small French towns. As the critic Theodore de Banville wrote of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot in 1861, “This is not a landscape painter, this is the very poet of landscape, who breathes the sadness and joys of nature.” Trouillebert’s sense for nuances, the subtlety of his silvery grey greens, and his effective use of mist prompted many to compare him to Corot. Although Trouillebert was amply inspired by Corot’s themes, he added his distinctive atmosphere to each painting, especially in his scenes of fishermen on the riverbanks of France. His works are on display at the Musée des Beaux-arts, Reims Musée d’art histoire et archéologie, Evreux Musée Crozatier and Musée des Beaux-arts, Dijon Musée des Beaux-arts de Rouen Musée des Beaux-arts de Dole the Musée Cantini, Marseilles Musée des Beaux-arts et Musée Marey State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Cleveland Museum of Art and the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. Condition: Offered in lovely authentic condition as found and untouched. Framed Measurements: Height: 18.2'' | 46.2 cm Width: 28.1'' | 71.3 cm Delivery : UK £60 / Worldwide £260 Telephone Enquiries : 07765 856171