Landscape in the Auvergne 1830

Théodore Rousseau created this evocative landscape in the Auvergne using watercolor and charcoal. These were, of course, the standard media of academic landscape at the time. But it's important to remember that they are also intensely physical. Consider the charcoal first, literally the product of burnt wood. Applying it is a subtractive process as much as an additive one; artists like Rousseau would manipulate the dust of the charcoal with their fingers or a cloth. Watercolor, too, requires an intimate understanding of the way that pigment behaves with water. See how Rousseau coaxes the medium into soft gradations, evoking the misty atmosphere of the region? Neither watercolor nor charcoal require intense physical labor in the way that, say, sculpture does. But Rousseau's masterful handling of these materials speaks to a deep, learned understanding. In the end, the point isn't just the beautiful scene before us, but the way it emerged from the artist's hand.