A Rising Path 1845

Camille Corot created this small oil on canvas, titled A Rising Path, sometime in the mid-19th century. Corot worked *en plein air*, outside of the studio, in a direct and spontaneous way. The texture of the paint is crucial here. Notice how Corot has used thin washes of color for the sky, and thick, expressive brushstrokes to describe the vegetation and the path. The colors of earth, vegetation, and sky are clearly differentiated using different qualities of strokes. It's a seemingly straightforward, if poetic, approach. This way of painting was radically different from the highly finished, idealized landscapes that were popular in the academies. Corot's focus on the material properties of paint, and his direct engagement with the environment, helped to pave the way for Impressionism. It reminds us that even in the most seemingly representational works, the artist’s hand – and the properties of the materials – play a key role in shaping our experience.