Who painted View of La Cava?

View of La Cava was painted by Félix-Hippolyte Lanoüe in c. 1840.

Where can I see View of La Cava?

View of La Cava is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is View of La Cava?

View of La Cava is associated with Realism.

Can I buy a print of View of La Cava?

Museum-quality prints of View of La Cava are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

View of La Cava

Félix-Hippolyte Lanoüe , 1840

View of La Cava is an oil painting by the Realist artist Félix-Hippolyte Lanoüe. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower left: H. LANOÜE

About this work

Technique & Style

View of La Cava is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for mid-nineteenth-century French landscape practice.

View of La Cava is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for mid-nineteenth-century French landscape practice. The relatively modest dimensions, approximately 41 by 34 centimeters, indicate an intimate cabinet-scale format suited to close, observational handling rather than a large exhibition piece. Classified as a landscape painting, the work treats a natural motif centered on a tree, consistent with the plein-air and studio landscape traditions of the period.

The medium of oil on canvas allowed for the layered tonal modeling and atmospheric handling typical of the genre, though specific pigment or condition notes are not recorded in the available documentation. The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

History & Provenance

Félix-Hippolyte Lanoüe executed the oil painting View of La Cava in 1840. The work's documented ownership history begins with James Mackinnon of London. In May 2002, Frank Anderson Trapp, a scholar based in Amherst and Pittsburgh, acquired the canvas.

Following Trapp's death in 2005, the painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as a gift from his estate in 2004.

View of La Cava is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. According to its provenance, the painting was owned by James Mackinnon in London before being purchased in May 2002 by Frank Anderson Trapp of Amherst and Pittsburgh. Trapp subsequently donated the work to the National Gallery of Art in 2004. The sources do not provide an accession number or record any exhibition history for the piece.

Overview

Félix-Hippolyte Lanoüe's painting, View of La Cava, created around 1840, is an oil on canvas landscape. The work centers on a solitary oak tree situated on a grassy incline, rendered with a focus that grants it significant visual weight. This composition highlights a specific natural element rather than a sweeping vista.

Subject & Meaning

Unlike many contemporary landscapes that featured expansive scenes or historical narratives, View of La Cava dedicates its entire composition to a single, prominent oak. Lanoüe elevates this individual tree, imbuing it with a substantial presence that transcends a mere botanical study. The absence of additional elements draws the viewer's attention solely to its form and character.