Apple Trees in Auvers 1877

Curator: This is Charles François Daubigny's "Apple Trees in Auvers," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's a moody little piece, isn't it? The dense foliage, like a storm brewing. Curator: Indeed. Note Daubigny's use of hatching and cross-hatching. The tonal range achieved is quite sophisticated. He really captures the atmospheric perspective. Editor: I get a sense of quiet contemplation, maybe even a bit melancholy. The path disappearing invites speculation. Where does it lead? Curator: Structurally, the composition divides the space. Consider how the artist employs the trees as framing devices. They guide the eye... Editor: Or maybe the trees just want to get out of the storm. Anyway, I am ready for some cider. Curator: A fitting end, perhaps. Daubigny offers us a landscape both familiar and subtly unsettling. Editor: Precisely. A glimpse into a world both beautiful and a bit…brooding.