Setting off to Market

genre

Animals became frequent elements in Troyon's paintings after the late 1840s, when he discovered to his delight the Dutch animal painters, especially Paulus Potter. The haze of a summer morning hangs over this landscape and invests it with a lightness reminiscent of Corot; it anticipates Impressionism later in the century but, on such a large canvas, comes across more as a decorative effect.

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About the Artist

Constant Troyon

1810 – 1865

French painter. After training to become a porcelain painter at Sèvres, Troyon became interested in 17th century Dutch landscape painting, particularly the work of Jacob van Ruisdael, Paulus Potter, and Aelbert Cuyp, and subsequently became a member of the Barbizon School. After becoming Chevalier de le Légion d'honneur in 1849, his work shifted from landscapes to the painting of animals, often with labourers. His later landscapes of Normandy were an influence on the Impressionists. All his important pictures are of date between 1850 and 1864.

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