Corot’s paintings have a confident stillness that always seem to stand out in whatever gallery they hang in. They are not very large and the subject matter is rarely dramatic. In this painting in the National Gallery in London there is a wonderful sense of light and calm and yet the composition somehow makes challenges and certainly sticks in the memory. I can’t see a leaning tree trunk any more without being reminded of this view. This image was one that he found originally in Italy, where he made the first sketches in 1826. About 30 years later he comes back to the idea and did a series of paintings exploring the view, gradually simplifying and making a perfect composition. Below is a page from my digital scrapbook which shows the progression. It is a very inspiring example of taking something from so far back, realising what attracted you to the view, the subject and then with the benefit of years and new thoughts using it as a jumping off point for something contemporary and eternal. Info from S.Herring, 'The Leaning Tree Trunk', in 'The Nineteenth Century Paintings, Volume I', London forthcoming. Published online 2009: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/the-leaning-tree-trunk
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