Oaks of Vernon

Theodore Clement Steele's Oaks of Vernon from 1887 depicts the ancient trees of the Norman countryside near Vernon-sur-Seine that he painted during his European studies. Oak trees with their massive forms, complex branching, and long human associations had been studied by European painters since at least the Barbizon School, and Steele approaches them with both French observation and American sensibility. The Indianapolis Museum of Art holds this alongside his other European studies as documentation of his training period abroad.

The oak trees are rendered with careful attention to their massive, ancient form — the thick trunks, the complex canopy structure, the specific character of Norman oaks. Steele's European period palette captures the quality of Normandy summer light through the foliage. His brushwork on the foliage reflects his developing Impressionist approach.