The Old Forest
Charles-Émile Jacque
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
In 1849 Charles-Émile Jacque settled in Barbizon, a village near what had become the center of landscape painting in France: the vast Forest of Fontainebleau. By that year, eight trains a day were traveling direct from Paris to Barbizon, bringing thousands of “nature tourists” from the city.
Here, Jacque portrays a blue-smocked peasant standing near one of Fontainebleau’s famous old trees, an image of labor made to seem gentle and timeless. The forest actually belonged to the French crown, which limited how villagers could use it. Sheep were only permitted to graze at the edge of the forest, for example.
Here, Jacque portrays a blue-smocked peasant standing near one of Fontainebleau’s famous old trees, an image of labor made to seem gentle and timeless. The forest actually belonged to the French crown, which limited how villagers could use it. Sheep were only permitted to graze at the edge of the forest, for example.
Caption
Charles-Émile Jacque (Paris, France, 1813 – 1894, Paris, France). The Old Forest, 1860–1870. Oil on canvas, 32 1/2 x 26 1/4 in. (82.6 x 66.7 cm) Frame: 43 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (110.5 x 95.3 x 11.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Mrs. William A. Putnam, 41.778. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Artist
Title
The Old Forest
Date
1860–1870
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
32 1/2 x 26 1/4 in. (82.6 x 66.7 cm) Frame: 43 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (110.5 x 95.3 x 11.4 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower left: "ch. Jacque."
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. William A. Putnam
Accession Number
41.778
Frequent Art Questions
The painters of the Barbizon School were really interested in landscape painting; they wanted to depict nature directly, outside of the classical conventions. That's why you'll see so many landscapes in a similar style on that wall.
I do love Fontainebleau.Many of the Barbizon school painters worked in the Forest of Fontainebleau, just outside of Paris, as nature, rather than urban life, provided inspiration for their works. They got their name from the nearby village of Barbizon.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at