Forest of Fontainebleau 1834

Camille Corot painted this Forest of Fontainebleau with oil on canvas, at a time when French landscape painting was undergoing significant change. Corot belonged to a generation of artists who turned away from the formal, historical landscapes that were favored by the French Academy. Instead, artists went into nature. This painting presents the forest as a space for quiet contemplation. The woman in the foreground, a contemporary figure, engrossed in a book, represents a merging of nature and culture. Corot and his contemporaries believed that direct observation of nature was essential for artistic innovation and social change. By representing the forest as a place of leisure and intellectual activity, Corot elevated the status of the natural world. To understand the painting’s full significance, we must consider the changing role of landscape painting within the French Academy and the broader cultural shift towards valuing direct experience. Art history helps us to do just that.