Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875)
Study for “Bank of the Pond after the Storm,” ca. 1870
Charcoal with stumping on cream-colored paper
16 1/8 x 23 7/16 in. (41 x 59.5 cm)
Purchased by The Frick Collection, 1965
In this sheet, Corot evokes the hazy, damp atmosphere of a tranquil moment after a storm through a technique known as stumping. Rubbing the charcoal into the paper with a small roll of leather (a stump), he softens the contours of the trees and creates the effect of windswept foliage. Figures engaged in mundane activities appear in complete harmony with nature.