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The Oak Tree and the Reed

c. 1873
(French, 1817–1878)
France, 19th century
blue, gray, and black wash, and graphite
Support: Cream wove paper
Sheet: 29.3 x 23 cm (11 9/16 x 9 1/16 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.357
Location: not on view
Public Domain
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Description

The Oak Tree and the Reed illustrates the fable of the same name by the 17th-century French writer Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695). Having disdainfully pitied the reed for bending before the wind, the oak is shown torn from the earth by a terrific north wind. Focusing upon the uprooted oak, Daubigny created a violently expressive treatment of the subject. The bold dappling of lights and darks below is set off by the intense blue of the clouds encroaching upon the land from the left. The diagonal streaks of thin-ly applied gray wash above suggest driving rain.
The Oak Tree and the Reed

The Oak Tree and the Reed

c. 1873

Charles François Daubigny

(French, 1817–1878)
France, 19th century

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