Side of the Valley of Saint-Vincent (Auvergne) 1830

Theodore Rousseau painted this landscape of the Valley of Saint-Vincent in Auvergne using oil on canvas, a hallmark of fine art practice at the time. The rugged texture of the landscape is mirrored in the application of the paint itself. You can almost feel the weight of the rocks, the density of the foliage. Look closely, and you'll see how Rousseau has built up layers of pigment, creating a tactile surface. This reflects his intense engagement with the materiality of paint. Rousseau was part of the Barbizon school, who advocated painting outdoors, ‘en plein air,’ to capture the changing effects of light and atmosphere. This direct engagement with the landscape, and with the materials of his craft, allowed him to convey not just a visual likeness, but also a sense of place and lived experience. This approach blurred the lines between traditional landscape painting and a more grounded, experiential form of artmaking.