Henri Dutzschold: Cloud Study, Wide Landscape, Plein Air

Henri Dutzschold had a unique, fresh way of looking at things. His landscapes give us almost a panoramic view, celebrating the the vastness of nature, while remaining down-to-hear in its realism.

Our cloud study and wide landscape, certainly painted in plein air, is very representative of his work which combines precision and loving detail - there is so much to discover in this picture! - with a larger perspective.

Henri Dutzschold, who only lived to the age of 50 (1841-1891) had studied with of Grome, Vron and Harpignies. He showed work at the Paris Salon between 1868 and 1879. He painted genre scenes, as well as diverse landscapes of the le-de-France, Brittany, Provence and the shores of Lake Geneva.

The oil on panel presented here, probably painted in the Ile de France region in the 1870s, measures 24 x 31 cm. Signed at the lower right, there is minor repair to the sides (the discreet thin vertical lines documented in the photo).The overall size in a late 20th Century frame is 29 x 40cm.

Henri Dutzschold's paintings are in the collections of the museums of Saint-Brieuc, Chambry, Compigne, Bordeaux, Abbeville, Cahors, and in the Chateau de Sceaux, to name but some.