French Orchard at Harvest Time (Le verger), 1876

About the Work

This orchard measures a monumental 168 by 300 centimetres. Daubigny was a member of the Barbizon School, a group of artists who met in the forest of Fontainebleau, far from the Parisian metropolis, to paint in the open air. On account of its scale alone, however, this depiction was executed in the studio. The choice of such an unusually large canvas is an indication of the high ambitions the artist was pursuing. ‘The Orchard’ thus entered into direct competition with history paintings. It was, moreover, the only work Daubigny exhibited at the Salon in 1876.