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In Storage

Jean Baptiste Camile Corot (1796-1875)

A Breakwater in Normandy (L’Estacade Normande)

Corot established his reputation with large landscape paintings, often with biblical or mythological subjects, intended to win approval at the Paris Salon exhibitions. Corot travelled widely in Europe filling notebooks with drawings and making oil studies which he used when developing paintings in his studio. By the 1850s he was moving towards a softer style that used a limited colour palette dominated by grey-greens and blues.

This painting is typical of those landscapes. He called some of these 'souvenirs': idyllic views based on memories of places, simply rendered with a small range of complimentary tones. Although these paintings were created in his studio, Corot's interest in drawing directly from nature anticipates the plein air (outdoor) painting of the Impressionists.

Mediumoil on canvas
Date
Dimensions235mm x 390mm
Acquisition NumberSOTAG : 1288
Credit LinePurchased in 1947 through the Chipperfield Bequest Fund