Rocky Landscape 1845

Theodore Rousseau made this landscape painting with oil paint on canvas, a technique that has a long history. What’s interesting here is how Rousseau used the paint itself to evoke the roughness of the terrain. Look closely, and you’ll see how he applied thick layers, or impasto, to build up a textured surface, like a relief map. The dark, earthy tones and the way he manipulates the paint make the rocks and vegetation almost tangible. You can practically feel the weight and solidity of the stones, and the scraggly, stubborn growth pushing through them. Rousseau was part of the Barbizon School, a group of artists who rejected the polished academic style of the time. They wanted to get real, to get their hands dirty, quite literally. They left the studio and went into the forest, engaging with the land and its physical qualities. Considering the artwork as a material object, we can appreciate how its qualities and artistic processes challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.