He was one of the most exciting, experimental, and affecting artists of his day, but his reputation was quickly eclipsed by the triumph of Impressionism. Over 75 gorgeous works from this French painter are on view at the Getty.
Although his paintings are often categorized as “grave” or “melancholic” in nature, Théodore Rousseau was a supremely gifted artist who was a giant among French landscape painters during the second half of the 19th century. Though he was once avidly collected for monumental prices across Europe and the United States, Rousseau’s immediate legacy fell prey to the growing taste for Impressionism in France after his death in 1867.
On view June 21 through September 11 at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, “Unruly Nature: The Landscapes of Théodore Rousseau” will bring together some seventy-five paintings by the artist. On loan from several international galleries and private collections, “the exhibition explores the astonishing technical and stylistic variety of Rousseau’s work, revealing him to be one of the most exciting, experimental, and affecting artists of his day,” the museum reports.
The works included will feature great variety, as the artist was notorious for leaving many of his works “incomplete.” However, the term is relative because Rousseau had a reputation for spending exorbitant amounts of time developing his subjects. He left many of his works with areas fully complete while others may be underdeveloped. Although frustrating for his contemporaries and modern collectors, the state of his canvases nonetheless offers viewers insight into the artist’s unique working methods and techniques.
To learn more, visit the Getty.
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Making Melancholy More
