Cattle at Pasture in a Wooded Valley 1865 - 1875

Editor: This is Camille Corot’s "Cattle at Pasture in a Wooded Valley," housed here at Harvard. The paint application looks so effortless! What can you tell me about this landscape? Curator: Well, beyond the surface beauty, consider the materiality. Corot used commercially produced paints, reflecting industrial advancements impacting artistic practice. How do these manufactured materials influence the perceived 'naturalness' of the scene? Editor: So, you're saying the mass production of paint changes how we see the countryside? Curator: Precisely! Corot’s choice of these readily available materials is tied to a broader culture of production and consumption. It challenges the traditional idea of the artist as purely individual creator. Does that shift your perspective? Editor: It does. It’s not just a pretty scene; it's a product of its time. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: And, perhaps, highlights our own relationship with both nature and its representation.