Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Waterfall in the Auvergne; verso: Sketch of rocky terrain

Théodore Rousseau
1812-1867

Waterfall in the Auvergne; verso: Sketch of rocky terrain

ca. 1830
17 1/8 x 11 5/8 inches (435 x 295 mm)
Black chalk on laid paper
2022.348

Gift of Karen B. Cohen.

Notes
At the age of eighteen, after failing to pass even the first stage of competition for the coveted Prix de Rome at the École des Beaux-Arts, Rousseau fled not to Italy but to Franceʼs Auvergne region. For six months he dedicated himself to studying and rendering nature -- the textures of tree bark, rock formations, flowing water, and waving grasses. This period was critical in shaping his artistic approach.
Inscriptions/Markings
Watermark: Fragment of a crown over a shield.
Associated names
Cohen, Karen B., former owner.
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Department