Artwork
In the Forest
In the Forest is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Narcisse Virgilio Díaz. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: N. Diaz, '74
About this work
A small forest scene shows sunlight breaking through tall trees, with soft patches of light on the ground.
A small forest scene shows sunlight breaking through tall trees, with soft patches of light on the ground. A few figures in old-fashioned clothes walk along a dirt path, barely visible in the shade.
This painting was made near the end of the artist’s life, just before he died in 1874. He often painted forests like this one, using thick brushstrokes to show leaves and dappled light. The oil paint is layered to build depth, making the woods feel alive and quiet at the same time.
Look up the technique: glazing.
Technique & Style
In the Forest is an oil painting executed on a wood support, a modest-scale panel measuring 79.38 by 105.41 cm. The choice of oil on wood is consistent with the cabinet-picture tradition favored by Diaz de la Peña, allowing for the finely worked, enamel-smooth surface and richly layered glazes characteristic of his mature Barbizon style. The horizontal orientation favors a panoramic woodland composition, and the compact panel format supports the tightly brushed, decorative handling for which the artist was known in his later years.
The painting survives in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having entered the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1926 through the bequest of William A. Clark and transferred to the National Gallery in 2014.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1874 by Narcisse Diaz de la Peña.
Its early ownership began with M.E. Willems, whose estate sale in Brussels on 5 April 1897 included the work under the title Paysage. It then passed through Le Roy et Cie in Paris and Galerie Georges Petit in Paris before entering the collection of William A. Clark in New York. Clark bequeathed it to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, which held it until its acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in 2014.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. It entered the collection through the bequest of William A. Clark in 1926 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and was transferred to the National Gallery of Art in 2014.
Its Corcoran Gallery of Art inventory number is not specified in the cited sources.
Overview
In the Forest, executed in oil on wood in 1874, presents a compact woodland tableau where shafts of sunlight pierce the canopy, casting gentle illuminations upon the forest floor. A narrow, earthen track winds through the scene, its travelers, figures dressed in period attire, barely discernible amid the shade, lending the work a sense of quiet passage.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a moment of tranquil passage through nature, emphasizing the interplay of light and shadow that defines the forest interior. The barely visible figures suggest a fleeting human presence within an enduring natural setting, inviting contemplation of the transitory versus the timeless.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Narcisse Virgilio Díaz (1807–1876) was a French artist, born in Bordeaux.
