The Cattle Tender, Fontainebleau
by TROYON, Constant, Oil on panel, 16 x 22 cm
This painting demonstrates the incredible portrayal that Troyon could achieve with the utmost efficiency of brushstroke and cool, silvery lighting. The grazing cow at the centre of the composition is painted with her full weight and volume in just a few strokes of brown and creamy white. Two more cattle stand behind a worn wooden fence at left in the shade of dense trees.