Civita Castellana 

Curator: Let's pause here in front of "Civita Castellana," an oil painting believed to be crafted en plein air by Camille Corot. Editor: Oh, instantly calming. The misty blues and greens – it’s like a breath of cool air. But the sheer volume of the clouds, so weighty, hints at something grander too. Curator: Absolutely. Corot was fascinated by the transient effects of light on landscape. He didn't seek photographic accuracy but aimed for a more felt experience. He often reworked his outdoor sketches back in the studio. The facture is visible if you get close, there are layers of paint handling revealing Corot's process, and it also makes the scene more alive. Editor: It strikes me as incredibly raw for Romanticism. You see how the visible brushstrokes animate it? It makes me consider the kind of brush he must have been using. The landscape yields to the artist, not the other way around. Curator: Exactly, Corot's plein air works provided new modes for landscape painting. The materials play a vital role. Notice how the textures—the impasto in the foreground contrasting with the translucent sky. These textural shifts invite a kind of haptic looking. Editor: And what does the artist see in Civita Castellana itself? Curator: The town represented, in some ways, the essence of Italy for him—its timeless quality. A bit of the past, embedded in a landscape. His early landscape style, the plein air study became an academic convention of French painting by the time he died. Editor: I love that. It's the tension between permanence and change—that feeling is why these kinds of pieces grab me, hold me there with its process and presence. The work's so lovely in its directness; no artifice at play here, and if there is, it is hard won, a deliberate kind. Curator: A truly insightful experience. Hopefully, we’ve all gained a new appreciation for this artist's work! Editor: Yes, definitely more to look at beyond just scenery, that's for sure!