N. Grigorescu (attributed To) Barbizon School Circa 1870/80 : “the Great Oak”

Nicolae Grigorescu (attributed to), Barbizon School circa 1870/80: “Le Grand Chêne”, oil on canvas 81 X 65 cm, mounted in a superb gilded frame 93 X 78 cm. Unfortunately, the label on the back is very difficult to read, indicating a No. 21, a date (of exhibition?) 84 and a name (of lender?) Houin. When I bought this extraordinary painting, the power of the brushstroke with the incredibly broad brushstroke that reveals the details as it recedes made me think of Gustave Courbet, but a careful examination of the documentation disproved this hypothesis. I then remembered a very interesting exhibition that we saw in Agen on a Romanian painter who was almost unknown in France, but who was an eminent member of the Barbizon School, an admirer and friend of Courbet and who later became the champion of Impressionist modernity in his country: Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907). The documentation consulted, without giving me absolute certainty, indicated that I was on the right track. In any case, this work exudes an almost magnetic power, the houses, the character in red and the drying laundry being forgotten to make way for the immense oak tree standing out against the light against the leaden grey sky…
Museum.
Do not hesitate to ask us for photos or additional information by email or telephone. Other photos and many other objects in our shops in Pau and Biarritz and on our website: galerielhoste.com.