This evocative mid-19th-century oil painting by Robert T Stuart (XIX) depicts a picturesque river landscape illuminated by a setting sun.
A silhouetted wood stands before a majestic glow as the placid river beams. Distant buildings are rendered with a few deft marks and careful observation. It’s a tranquil image capturing nature at her most enchanting.
Little is known about Robert T Stuart aside from numerous auction records in the US, France and UK. It’s conceivably either an American or British name, yet most of his works are French in style. Indeed, this piece utilises a canvas purchased in France and also features a Parisian storage label. Ancestry records draw a blank, so, all things considered, it’s likely to be a pseudonym.
Stuart’s works are reminiscent of those by the Barbizon School of painters, who were the first to truly embrace painting ‘en plein air’. At the start of the 19th century, the concept of painting outside would seem quite ludicrous as generally, artists would study and sketch from life but complete their finished works in a studio. However, during the 1830s, a group of radical French artists sought to rebel against such constraints by escaping from the confines of Paris and working directly in the forest of nearby Fontainebleau.
Over the next 40 years, artists such Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875), Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867), and Charles-François Daubigny (1817-1878) transformed the scope of landscape painting and became known as the ‘Barbizon School’ - named after a village they frequented. Their work was incomparable with the earlier landscape painters - it felt alive, transient, atmospheric and real.
Across Europe, many young artists began to take note and headed for nature in search of inspiration. In Munich, they flocked to Dachauer Moos, a fertile pine forest with scattered meadows. While in Holland, they carried easels into the countryside surrounding The Hague.
The true identity of Robert T Stuart remains a mystery but he was certainly in good company.
Signed and held within a later frame.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29” x 17½” / 74cm x 44cm
Year of creation: c. 1860
Labels & Inscriptions: Old storage label from Bedel & Cie of 18 Rue Saint-Augustin, Paris.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Patched repairs. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.
Our reference: BRV2012
