Lormes: Goat-Girl Sitting Beside a Stream in a Forest
Historical Context
Lormes: Goat-Girl Sitting Beside a Stream in a Forest (1842) depicts a humble rural subject that exemplifies Corot's engagement with the French countryside. Lormes is a small town in the Morvan region of Burgundy, and Corot's choice of this remote, unpicturesque location reflects his belief that beauty could be found in the most ordinary landscapes. The goat-girl subject connects to the pastoral tradition while remaining firmly grounded in contemporary rural reality.
Technical Analysis
Corot's technique combines careful observation of the forest interior with his characteristic silvery-green palette. The stream and surrounding vegetation are rendered with fluid, atmospheric brushwork, while the seated figure and goat are painted with just enough detail to establish their presence without disrupting the landscape's contemplative mood.
Provenance
Paris sale, Drouot salle 3, 29 March 1878 (lot 15), Paysanne près d'une source, dans la forêt de Fontainebleau, ff 1,300.; Hugo Nathan, Frankfurt, Germany; Wildenstein & Co., New York, by 1942.; J. K. Thannhauser, New York, NY, by 1960; Sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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