Landscape with a Plowed Field and a Village

Georges Michel

probably after 1827 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

As a restorer at the Louvre, Michel became familiar with Dutch seventeenth-century landscapes by Van Ruisdael, Van Goyen, and Rembrandt. Though Michel’s works are rarely dated, making it difficult to understand the development of his own landscape style, works like this one provided a link to the northern tradition well before those by the Englishman John Constable caused a sensation in Paris in 1824. This imaginary view was painted on paper mounted on canvas, an inexpensive means of starting with a smooth surface in emulation of more expensive wood panel, the favored support of Dutch old masters.

Artist

Georges Michel

Date

probably after 1827

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Paul Durand-Ruel, 1880