The Great Oaks of Old Bas-Breau 1864

Theodore Rousseau made ‘The Great Oaks of Old Bas-Breau’ with oil on canvas, rendering a cluster of grand trees. The artist's thick application of paint builds up a rough, tactile surface. Look closely and you'll see how he used brushstrokes to mimic the texture of bark and foliage. The deep browns and greens evoke a sense of nature’s richness. This wasn't just about capturing a pretty scene; it was a labor-intensive effort to convey the importance of the forest and its ancient trees, with their towering height and rough surfaces. Rousseau and other artists from the Barbizon school elevated landscape painting to a new status. They moved away from idealized, historical scenes, and focused on the natural world and the lives of common people. They also acknowledged the importance of manual skills and traditional techniques. Ultimately, this painting invites us to consider the connection between labor, materials, and our perception of the world around us.