Village Landscape

Dupré was a leading figure in the Barbizon School, which took its name from the village of Barbizon, not far from Paris. A painter, engraver and draughtsman, in his landscapes he was much influenced by 17th-century Dutch artists and the English painter John Constable. From 1831 to the end of his life, Dupré exhibited his works at the annual Paris Salons. This canvas dates from the peak of his career, the 1840s and 1850s. He captures the sense of disturbance in the atmosphere as a storm approaches. The sky is filled with heavy clouds and a peasant in a cart hurries to bring in the bulls moving along the track. Dupré made use of thick, impasto texture, a dynamic manner of painting and colouring dominated by golden-browns and olive-greens.