Louis Hilaire Carrand (1821–1899), Path Under The Trees

Oil on paper mounted on canvas. 30 x 22.5 cm. Signed lower right. With frame.

This painting by Louis Hilaire Carrand, titled “Path Under the Trees,” perfectly illustrates the Lyon-born artist’s sensitivity to atmosphere and light. The scene depicts a winding path bordered by slender trees whose foliage diffuses a soft light, creating a subtle interplay of shadow and brightness. Carrand excels at capturing ambiance, working with thick, bold brushstrokes characteristic of his style, and anticipating certain Impressionist innovations. The colors, dominated by browns, deep greens, and nuanced blues, convey a nature that is both melancholic and poetic. The sky, animated by pink and blue-tinged clouds, enhances the dreamlike atmosphere of the landscape. Faithful to his approach of painting from nature, Carrand here captures the fleeting moment when light transforms the ordinary into an almost mysterious scene, revealing the poetry of everyday life.

Louis Carrand studied for two years with landscape painter Nicolas Fonville, then worked independently from nature. In 1847, he traveled to Florence before returning to Lyon and settling there. In 1864 or 1865, following his father’s bankruptcy, he found himself penniless and, from that time until his death in 1899, was forced to earn a living by occasionally working as an office clerk. Carrand first exhibited at the Lyon Salon in 1846-1847 with a View of Burgundy; thereafter, he exhibited almost every year at the Lyon Salon, mainly with landscapes and, from 1880, seascapes, as well as interiors painted from 1885 for theaters and cabarets. Carrand also exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1859.

Carrand’s considerable output is the result of painting every Sunday, mainly along the quays and squares of his native city, Lyon, or, when he could spare a few days, in the countryside of Bresse and Isère. Like other marginal 19th-century painters, Carrand boldly anticipated many artistic developments seen at the end of the century. Ravier, Carnaud, Bouche, and Carrand, all from Lyon, show an affinity for thick paint and bold, sumptuous brushstrokes, much like Monticelli in Marseille.