Landscape with a River
- Artist: Charles François Daubigny
- Date: 1860
- Medium: oil on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the Landscape with a River by Charles François Daubigny. Painted in 1860, it’s an oil on panel that captures the breadth of the sky and the gentle sweep of the Oise River. Daubigny, known for his river scenes, used a small boat as a floating studio—he would moor in spots that offered the best composition. In this work he chooses a wide, horizontal format, allowing the river to slice the canvas while the wooded banks frame the scene on either side.
You’ll notice his brushwork is loose yet controlled; the colors of the water and sky blend seamlessly, giving a sense of depth that feels almost photographic. The light here is soft, hinting at a late afternoon glow, and the trees lean slightly as if brushed by a breeze. Daubigny’s choice to depict the river from a slightly elevated perspective gives viewers a sense of both intimacy and distance—an invitation to step into the landscape.
The painting’s scale and composition reflect the artist’s goal to showcase the harmony between human presence (his boat, the human scale) and the natural environment. It’s a fine example of mid‑nineteenth‑century landscape painting that balances realism with an almost lyrical sense of place.
See it in person
Landscape with a River hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
