Jean-Victor Bertin (1767 - 1842) Shepherds in a Classical La...

Estimate

£10,000 - £15,000

Jean-Victor Bertin (1767 - 1842)
Shepherds in a Classical Landscape
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated 1822 lower left and inscribed 'No.55 Bertin' 
In an Empire frame

Provenance:
Galerie Fischer Keiner, Paris, 1990, no.4 du catalogue

When it was exhibited at the Paris Salon, this beautifully painted picture was entitled 'Une vue de Cora, ville de Latium', which should be interpreted as the town of Cori at the foot of the Alban Hills in Lazio. 

As a master of the paysage historique, Jean-Victor Bertin drew his inspiration from the Roman campagna. With its timeless buildings and an ordered vision of a tranquil, almost dreamy scene, complete with herders dressed in togas, this painting defines the neo-Classical tradition of landscape. 

From 1748 onwards, with the rediscovery of and subsequent excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii, there was a resurgence in interest in archaeology. By 1800, it centred around Rome, and enticed writers, painters, and architects towards neo-Classicism - an attempt to offer a fresh interpretation of antiquity. Landscape artists undertook to elevate the status of their paintings by idealising and ennobling nature. In moving away from the 'Rococo' styles that had dominated French painting during the previous century, artists became more interested in reproducing visual impressions with finesse and perfection. 

By the time Bertin painted 'Shepherds in a Classical Landscape', French landscape painting was on the cusp of change, as an increased interest in atmosphere and direct observation, painting en plein air, came to the fore. As a pupil of Bertin, and the direct precursor of Impressionism, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot proved that his master can be considered as one of the most influential teachers of the next generation of landscape painters.

Dimensions:
(Canvas) 12.75 in. (H) x 16 in. (W)
(Frame) 19.5 in. (H) x 22.75 in. (W)