Le chemin vers la vallée

Armand Guillaumin's 'Le chemin vers la vallée' (The Path Toward the Valley, 1885) belongs to his ongoing investigation of the landscapes around Paris — roads and paths as compositional devices that lead the eye through the terrain while providing the human-scale geometry that connects the viewer to the landscape. Guillaumin's path subjects were among his most characteristic works, the road winding through rural or semi-industrial terrain creating a compositional invitation into the pictorial space. His 1885 valley path may reflect his interest in the landscapes south of Paris around Ivry and Charenton.

Guillaumin's path composition uses the winding road's geometry to create a strong spatial lead into the picture's depth — the path curving away draws the eye through the landscape. His vigorous, confident brushwork establishes the terrain's character on either side of the path, and his characteristically intense palette gives the scene a vivid chromatic energy. The horizon and sky above the valley are handled with equal directness.