Fishing in a Pond
1866
By the time he painted this evocative work, Harpignies had traveled extensively through Europe, sketching at picturesque sites in France, Germany, and Italy. His command of the watercolor medium, with thin washes and fluid brushwork, was translated into his oil paintings.
The artist’s uncommonly long life exposed him to avant-garde currents in the fast-changing art scene; they seem to have had little effect on his own work, which remained rooted in the Barbizon School focus on nature, portrayed in a naturalistic and somewhat romantic manner.
Oil on canvas
53 1/2 x 38 in. (135.9 x 96.5 cm)
Seattle Art Museum Purchase Fund
65.114