Paul Desire Trouillebert
Dance of the Nymphs
1816-1918

About the Item

This lyrical landscape entitled Dance of the Nymphs was composed by the French Barbizon painter Paul Désiré Trouillebert. A joyful scene of nymphs dancing the morning fog, the work closely resembles an important work by the great Camille Corot, which is now housed at the Musée d'Orsay (Paris). Renowned for his unique individuality that toed the line between the traditional and modern, Corot and his landscapes helped pave the way for an entire generation of Impressionists who followed him. Trouillebert perfectly captures the poetic atmosphere of Corot’s groundbreaking works, while also imbuing this scene with a freshness and character that is all his own. Trouillebert's oil on canvas is exemplary of the tradition of historical painting. The work perfectly combines a realistic depiction of the natural world with a spirited romanticism as his idealized nymph figures frolic playfully beneath a crisp morning sky. As a whole, it is a lovely composition executed with a level of skill and artistry that proves Trouillebert's exceptional talent in the arts. Born in Paris in 1831, Paul Désiré Trouillebert was a student of the academic painters Ernest Hébert and Charles Jalabert. Early in his career, he primarily produced portraits and genre scenes, exhibiting his first portrait at the Paris Salon in 1865. By the end of the decade, however, his interest in landscape painting blossomed, and in 1869, he exhibited his first landscape at the Salon to great acclaim. He went on to execute a number of landscapes that recall the mature style of Corot, including the present work, though they remain distinctly Trouillbert in their execution. Today, his paintings can be found in several important private collections, as well as the Lightner Museum (St. Augustine, Florida). Canvas: 38 3/4" high x 51 1/2" wide Frame: 50" high x 62 3/4" wide

Creator:
Paul Desire Trouillebert (1829 - 1900, French)
Creation Year:
1816-1918
Dimensions:
Height: 50 in (127 cm)Width: 62.75 in (159.39 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Academic
Period:
19th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 31-16551stDibs: LU1866767292
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Paul Desire Trouillebert

Paul Desire Trouillebert was born in Paris in 1829. He attended the École des Beaux-arts, where he studied under Antoine Auguste Ernest Hébert and Charles Jalabert. The young artist developed a passion for portraits and nude figure studies. He debuted at the Salon in Paris in 1865 with Portrait of Mademoiselle A. Shortly thereafter, Trouillebert received a near-continuous flow of portrait commissions from important clients. He was also renowned for completing a remarkable set of historical works that depicted the building of the railways around Paris in the 1880s. By the 1870s, Trouillebert, like many of his contemporaries, was inspired by the works of the Barbizon school. His oeuvre broadened to encompass the pastoral, riparian landscapes near and around Paris. Trouillebert depicted figures embedded in the surrounding landscape, sunsets over fields, and riverbanks bathed in the atmospheric morning light. He utilized a subtle, muted palette and often worked en plein air and on the panel. Trouillebert drew inspiration from scenes of rural life as well as the rich folk traditions of small French towns. As the critic Theodore de Banville wrote of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot in 1861, “this is not a landscape painter, this is the very poet of landscape, who breathes the sadness and joys of nature.” Trouillebert’s sense for nuances, the subtlety of his silvery grey-greens, and his effective use of mist prompted many to compare him to Corot. Although Trouillebert was amply inspired by Corot’s themes, he added his distinctive atmosphere to each painting, especially in his scenes of fishermen on the riverbanks of France. His works are on display at the Musée des Beaux-arts, Reims; the Musée d’art histoire et archéologie, Evreux; the Musée Crozatier and Musée des Beaux-arts, Dijon; theMusée des Beaux-arts de Rouen; theMusée des Beaux-arts de Dole; the Musée Cantini, Marseilles; theMusée des Beaux-arts et Musée Marey; the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.