1893
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Trembling Woods is a 1893 by George Auriol, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows trees with dark foliage and lighter trunks under a starry sky. The trees seem to be shivering, and a poem is included with the image. The poem talks about a lost love and a broken heart. This suggests the painting is about more than just trees. The technique used to create the trees' coloration is interesting. Look up the technique of chiaroscuro to learn more about how artists use contrast to create depth.
The coloration of the trees in the background, where the tone modulates from dark in the foliage to lighter and lighter in the trunks, was achieved with a technique borrowed from Japanese color woodcuts. The art of Japan is also apparent in the monochrome flower pattern above and below the image that imitates the silk scrolls on which paintings are hung. The poem, by Charles Cros, can be translated as: Shivering trees / Starry sky / My well-beloved has gone away / Taking with him my broken heart / Wind, let your plaintive murmurs / And you nightingale let your songs / Tell him that I am dying
Read the full account in the museum source.
George Auriol, born Jean-Georges Huyot (26 April 1863) – February 1938, Paris), was a French poet, songwriter, graphic designer, type designer, and Art Nouveau artist.
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