Les Chênes 1850 - 1860

Félix Ziem painted "Les Chênes," or "The Oaks," with oil on wood panel during the mid-19th century in France. This work belongs to the Barbizon School of painting, a movement that turned away from the formal academic tradition in favor of direct observation of nature. The oaks depicted here weren't merely trees; they symbolized the French countryside, a space increasingly romanticized amidst the industrial revolution and urbanization. We see the landscape not as a site of labor or production, but as a source of beauty. The loose brushwork further emphasizes the immediacy of the artist's encounter with nature. Ziem’s choice of subject and style can be understood in relation to the broader social and cultural shifts of his time, including the rise of landscape painting, the changing relationship between humans and nature, and the increasing importance of individual expression. Art historians examine exhibition reviews, artists’ biographies, and social histories of the period to understand the complex factors that shaped Ziem’s art.