River and Hills

Artist: Henri-Joseph Harpignies (French, 1819 - 1916)

Original Dimensions: 10 3/4" x 17 1/2"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1850-60) "A man stands on the winding path beneath the dark, forbidding cliffs. He gazes out across the river, his white cap, coat and backpack lifting the bleakness of the cliffs behind him. High above him, the sun catches a strange construction on the cliff top and crosses the gap between the two halves of the picture, to the mellow glow of the far hillside. On the far bank of the river, poplar trees grow in grey, gravelly soil, their reflections perfect in the still water. Harpignies met Camille Corot in Rome and became his friend and follower. On his return to France, he put aside the gritty, modernist subjects of the Barbizon artists he had spent some time with. He chose to follow Corot’s path, using the classical style of landscape painting associated with Rome, with a smooth, delicate technique and people and nature in harmony." - (National Gallery of Art, London)