Study of a Tree in the Bois de Boulogne

110: Study of a Tree in the Bois de Boulogne

Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes
Toulouse 1750 - 1819 Paris

2018-S.30: Fondation Custodia
Rights held by: Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris

After returning from his Italian sojourns (1769, 1777–1781 and 1782–1785), Valenciennes was made a member of the Academy in 1787; opened his own studio; was named professor of perspective at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, in 1812; and was responsible for creating the Prix de Rome for historical landscape painting in 1816. An encounter with marine painter Claude-Joseph Vernet is thought to have transformed his approach to landscape painting. Published in 1799/1800, his influential treatise on landscape, which emphasized direct observation from nature, is considered a cornerstone of modern landscape painting.

Text written and researched by Michelle Bird National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

Oil on paper, mounted on cardboard
33.9 × 25.6 cm

Created: circa 1790