The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Landscape with Seated Figure on Stream Bank
c. 1856
(French)
Image: 16.5 x 21.5 cm (6 1/2 x 8 7/16 in.); Mounted: 25.1 x 32.5 cm (9 7/8 x 12 13/16 in.); Matted: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1999.51
Location: not on view
Description
Flooded with bright light and enveloped in deep shadows, this romantic landscape is the remarkable achievement of the early French photographer Chauvassaignes, about whom little biographical information is known. His mastery of composition and technique reveals itself in this picturesque composition of water, stream banks, trees, and foliage, evoking a feeling of great tranquility. Inspired by the compositions of paintings and lithographs, Chauvassaignes exploited the inherent characteristics of the paper negative, enabling him to subordinate details while emphasizing the effects of light and shadow. The idyllic view, contemplated by a solitary seated gentleman, recedes into deep space through flickering sunlight and leafy boughs. A photographer with a trained and sophisticated eye, Chauvassaignes conveyed an uncommon intimacy in this forest landscape, a favorite subject of mid-19th-century artists.- Cleveland Museum of Art, “Major Contemporary German Painting Acquired by CMA,” June 9, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
- France at the Dawn of Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 4, 2009-January 24, 2010).The Cleveland Museum of Art (10/04/2009 - 01/24/2010); "France at the Dawn of Photography"Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 26-June 16, 2005).Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 26 - June 16, 2005 . "Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art".Pioneers of Landscape Photography from the Museum's Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 12, 2000-January 3, 2001).Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; August 12, 2000 - January 3, 2001. "Pioneers of Landscape Photography from the Museum's Collection."
- {{cite web|title=Landscape with Seated Figure on Stream Bank|url=false|author=Frank Chauvassaignes|year=c. 1856|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.51