A Rocky Landscape
- Artist: Théodore Rousseau
- Date: about 1836-40
- Medium: oil on board
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "A Rocky Landscape" by Théodore Rousseau. Painted in the early 1840s, this oil on board work is a great example of the artist's bold and original style.
What catches the eye here is the high horizon line and the close-up depiction of the path and rocks. The location is probably Les Sables du Jean-de-Paris, a hillside within the Forest of Fontainebleau that was a favourite spot for Rousseau. In fact, he painted several views in this area.
Notice how the artist has used heavy grey and cream paint to achieve a highly textured and fragmented surface. This was achieved with a combination of a dry brush and possibly even a palette knife, which gives the painting its unique look.
Rousseau's work is often associated with the Barbizon School, but his compositions are known for their audacity, and this one is no exception.
See it in person
A Rocky Landscape hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
