Arques-la-Bataille

John Henry Twachtman

ca. 1884 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

During the summer of 1884, Twachtman—then studying at the Académie Julian, in Paris—rented a house with his family at Arques-la-Bataille, in Normandy, and focused on capturing the quiet beauty of the area on canvas. In this work, he portrayed the edge of the Béthune, a tributary of the Arques, bordered by a fringe of reeds and meadow flowers. Back in his Paris studio the following winter, Twachtman transposed this naturalistic sketch into the monumental canvas Arques-la-Bataille, on view nearby.

Artist

John Henry Twachtman

Date

ca. 1884

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Purchase, The Charles Engelhard Foundation Gift, 1991