Impressive landscape with a girl: the art of Pierre Valdauz

(1838 Pierrelaye/Val-d'Oise – 1891 Paris) Spring landscape with a village girl at the edge of the forest. This is an impressive work by an outstanding landscape painter who, despite often being overshadowed by his famous contemporaries from the Barbizon School, always stood out for his great popularity during his lifetime and the high artistic quality of his works. His compositions demonstrate the same interest in the natural landscapes of France as the Barbizon artists with whom he was associated, focusing on the ideal of the "landscape of the inner world." In 1865, Pelouze debuted at the Salon in Paris, beginning to draw inspiration from Brittany. In 1870, he settled in Voitiers-de-Cernay (Cernay-la-Ville) in the Chevreuse Valley near the Rambouillet forest. In 1873, Pelouze received his first medal at the Salon, which led to great success and numerous positive reviews. In 1876, Pelouze received an exceptionally high distinction for a landscape artist—a first-class medal. In 1878, he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honor, and in 1889, he won a gold medal at the World’s Fair in Paris. Pelouze’s works can be found, among others, in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Oil on canvas. Signed. Dimensions: 54 cm x 73 cm. In a frame.