The shepherd overlooking the rocky gorge 1859

Camille Corot painted "The shepherd overlooking the rocky gorge" with oil on canvas, an archetypal combination of materials from the artist’s studio. Yet Corot wasn't just interested in the application of paint, but in a scene of labour and landscape. Look closely and you'll see the figure of the shepherd, seated contemplatively on a rocky promontory. He is part of a long tradition of pastoral imagery. He is also very much at work, in charge of a flock of sheep that is only barely visible behind him. Consider the repetitive, skilled labour that is also required from the painter; these works are time consuming and involve many, many brushstrokes. As an artwork, it is an object of contemplation and perhaps even luxury. As an image, it alludes to the lives of working people. This duality is part of what makes the painting so enduring. Corot’s genius was to bridge the gap between the life of the artist, and the life of the shepherd.