Description of the picture:
Landscape with a lake – Jean-Baptiste Corot. Late 1860s – early 1870s. Canvas, oil. 53×65.5
Outstanding Romantic Artist Jean-Baptiste Corot (1796-1875) was close to the Barbizon school, although he began to work long before his trips to the village of Barbizon. In addition to landscapes, he painted on mythological themes, decorative panels, was an excellent portrait painter. Corot created his own painting style, based on the delicate proportions of silver-gray and pearl-pearl tones.
In the painting “Landscape with a Lake” through the gap in the thicket of the forest opens a view of the lake and the distant village. The branches of the trees, interwoven, resemble theatrical scenes. From the edges of the canvas towards the center of the composition, black silhouettes of trees are depicted, which gradually become more transparent and finally dissolve in the light stream. In this landscape, the artist avoids everything that can lead away from contemplating the beauty of nature, he is happy to convey gradations of saturated green color.
Koro’s landscapes are characterized by sincere and subtle lyricism. Each canvas the master seeks to give calmness and spiritual purity. A state of anxiety or sadness is alien to his art, the artist’s works are compositionally balanced and harmonious."
