Portrait of a Young Man in a Landscape, 1843
Philippe Rousseauexpand_more
Oil on canvasexpand_more
Gift of Gabriel P. and Yvonne M.L. Weisbergexpand_more 2023.33
Not on Viewexpand_more
Philippe Rousseau is best remembered as a painter of still-lifes and landscapes, but he also painted animals and, occasionally, portraits. For seven Salons, beginning in 1834, he submitted landscapes. In 1844, he started showing still-lifes. He won a medal the following year, went on to became popular, and won major commissions.
This anonymous portrait represents a little-known aspect of Rousseau's activity: the creation of small-scale full-length portraits set in open landscapes. During the preparation of this document, I turned up another example, "Portrait d'homme à la compagne," which sold at Christie's, Paris, June 22, 2005, lot 169. These can be seen as an extension of true miniature painting, which was fashionable in the Napoleonic era, though Rousseau's are painted with greater spontaneity. Who is this young man' Why did Rousseau paint this' These are questions that await answers. One hopes someday a similar work bearing an informative inscription or perhaps a letter or diary entry will be discovered. One never knows if we will ever unlock the secrets of this little picture.
Details
- Title
- Portrait of a Young Man in a Landscape
- Artist Life
- Paris 1816–Acquigny, Upper Normandy 1887
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2023.33
- Provenance
- [Galerie Fischer-Kiener, Paris; to Weisberg]; Yvonne and Gabriel Weisberg, Minneapolis
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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