Damiette - Apple Trees

Identification of Damiette - Apple Trees

The scene unfolds through the lens of Ferdinand Guillaumin in his 1884 work, Damiette - Apple Trees. This painting captures a specific moment of rural tranquility, where the light filters through a lush, green landscape. Ferdinand Guillaumin, known also as Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin, brings a sense of immediacy to this countryside setting. The air feels heavy with the scent of ripening fruit and the quiet hum of a summer afternoon.

Categorized within the Impressionnisme movement, the work reflects a deep fascination with the way light dances across the natural world. Every brushstroke seeks to translate the fleeting sensation of a sun-drenched meadow. The trees, laden with apples, anchor the composition, offering a glimpse into a serene, pastoral existence. It is a vision of nature as it is perceived in a single, unrepeatable instant.

The Composition and Visual Elements

A lush green field stretches out under a soft light, inviting the eye to wander through the meadow. In the background, trees rise against the horizon, their forms anchoring the landscape. Scattered throughout this verdant expanse, several people move through the scene, their presence adding a sense of life to the quiet countryside. The atmosphere remains serene and peaceful, as if a single, tranquil moment has been caught in mid-breath.

Life unfolds in small, spontaneous details across the grass. Two dogs wander through the landscape, adding to the lively nature of the setting. One dog rests near the center of the composition, while another moves toward the right side of the painting. These figures, both human and animal, ground the scene in the simple, everyday rhythms of rural life. The arrangement of the figures and the natural elements creates an inviting, picturesque view of the world.

Physical Dimensions and Inscriptions

The canvas holds its presence with a height of 49.3 cm and a width of 62.3 cm. This scale invites a close gaze, drawing the eye into the dappled light and the quiet movement of the rural scene. Encasing this view is a frame that extends the visual experience, measuring 66.5 cm in height and 81 cm in width.

In the bottom left corner, a subtle mark anchors the work to its moment of creation. The inscription, rendered as Guillaumin / damiette 84, rests quietly against the landscape. These markings provide a direct connection to the artist and the specific place and time captured within the brushstrokes.

Museum Collection and Inventory Details

This work finds its home within the Musée Petit Palais, a vital part of the musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris. It rests under the care of this institution, where it is identified by the inventory number PPD1438. The piece is categorized as a work by a dessinateur, preserving the artist's hand within the museum's permanent holdings.

The physical presence of the work is marked by a specific inscription. In the bottom left corner, the artist's signature and the date appear as "Guillaumin / damiette 84". This small detail anchors the piece to its moment of creation in 1884. The dimensions of the object itself measure 49.3 cm in height and 62.3 cm in width.

Related Works by Ferdinand Guillaumin

The artist's hand moves through many different landscapes, capturing the shifting moods of the French countryside. In 1872, the scene shifts to the urban atmosphere of Place Valhubert, Paris. This work finds a different rhythm in 1878 with The Seine at Charenton, where the water and light interact in a quiet dance. These earlier explorations of light and space set a foundation for the more intense colors that emerge in later years. One might wonder how the light changes when the sky opens up in After the Rain, or how the landscape transforms in the Damiette Landscape, about 1890.

As the years pass, the focus shifts from the wide horizon to the intimate details of a life lived before the canvas. A Self-Portrait from 1895 offers a glimpse into the man behind the brush, capturing a moment of personal reflection. Even in the later years, the connection to the earth remains strong, as seen in the Crozant Landscape about 1922. Each piece reveals a different facet of a vision that constantly seeks to translate the immediate sensation of a moment onto the surface of the paint.