Dimensions 12 9/16 x 19 1/16 in. (31.91 x 48.42 cm) (image)
Charles-Marie Dulac made this landscape print using etching and aquatint, sometime before his early death in 1898. The image presents a windswept tree, likely in the north of France, rendered with delicate lines and subtle gradations of color. Dulac was one of a number of artists at this time who moved away from the strict academic tradition, embracing a more subjective and emotional response to the natural world. We can relate this to broader trends in French society, where rapid industrialization and urbanization prompted a longing for simpler, more authentic experiences. The art institutions of the time were beginning to open up to these trends, yet still imposed their own expectations of what art should be. To understand Dulac's landscape more fully, we can consult period journals and exhibition reviews, as well as studies of the art market and the collecting habits of the French bourgeoisie. These resources help to reveal the complex interplay of social forces that shaped artistic production in this period, and that continue to shape our understanding of it today.
Comments
The creative freedom spurred by André Marty's publication produced tonal effects far ahead of their time. Charles-Marie Dulac gave this lone outcropping a pervasive spirituality through his impressionistic use of color. In 1892, after years as a wallpaper colorist, Dulac became a Roman Catholic and devoted himself to creating meditative landscapes like this. Before Dulac's death at age 33 from lead poisoning, the novelist Joris-Karl Huysmans had planned to open an art colony with him in a Benedictine monastery.
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