The Chaise-Marie Quarry at Fontainebleau

In about 1830 it was Jean Baptiste Camille Corot who was one of the first artists to visit Barbizon, a village on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau, where the so-called Barbizon school was founded. Many of his studies were done in the open air and in the classical tradition this was in preparation for large historical works. The…

In about 1830 it was Jean Baptiste Camille Corot who was one of the first artists to visit Barbizon, a village on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau, where the so-called Barbizon school was founded. Many of his studies were done in the open air and in the classical tradition this was in preparation for large historical works. The Chaise-Marie Quarry at Fontainebleau on the other hand, is an independent portrait of an abandoned quarry painted directly from nature. The painting displays an interesting use of colour. Corot supplemented the dominant brown tone with beige and green to give the whole a tonal unity.