Provenance
Probably James Staats Forbes [1823-1904], London. Probably (Boussod, Valadon et Cie., Paris); by whom probably sold 1905 to (M. Knoedler & Co., London, New York, and Paris); probably sold to and returned by W. Jennings in 1912;[1] (M. Knoedler & Co., London, New York, and Paris); sold probably 1912 to R. Horace Gallatin [1871-1948], New York; gift 1949 to NGA.
[1] The painting's provenance prior to its entrace into the Gallatin collection is derived from the Getty Provenance Index, based on the records of the firm of M. Knoedler & Co. This firm sold two similarly described forest scenes by Diaz to Gallatin; one in 1910, which had been previously sold to and returned by H.C. Lytton of Chicago, and another in 1912, which had been sold to and returned by W. Jennings. The recorded measurements of the painting sold to W. Jennings in 192 correspond more closely to those of the painting now at the NGA.
Accession Number
1949.1.4
Medium
oil on wood
Dimensions
overall: 32 x 44 x 1.3 cm (12 5/8 x 17 5/16 x 1/2 in.) | framed: 59.1 x 71.8 x 7 cm (23 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of R. Horace Gallatin
Tags
Painting Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Oil Painting French
Background & Context
Background Story
Narcisse Diaz de la Peña (1807-1876) was a French painter of Spanish descent and a leading member of the Barbizon School, famous for his forest interiors bathed in dappled light. This Forest Scene from 1874, near the end of his life, shows his mature style at its most accomplished: a grove of trees filtering sunlight into a woodland clearing, with the rich brown-green palette and the buttery paint application that distinguish his work from the more sober realism of his Barbizon colleagues. The wood panel support gives the paint a warmth and luminosity that canvas does not provide, and Diaz exploited this quality to create the glowing effects that made his forest scenes among the most sought-after Barbizon paintings.
Cultural Impact
Diaz's forest interiors represent the Barbizon School at its most sensual. Where Rousseau painted the forest as a natural cathedral and Millet painted it as a workplace, Diaz painted it as a place of pleasure — a dappled, luminous, comfortable woodland that invites the viewer to step inside and enjoy the shade. This sensuality made Diaz one of the most commercially successful Barbizon painters in his lifetime, even as critics questioned the seriousness of his approach.
Why It Matters
Forest Scene is Diaz's Barbizon at its most seductive: dappled light, rich color, and the tactile pleasure of paint on wood panel. The forest is not a workplace or a cathedral — it is a place of beauty and pleasure, and Diaz paints it with the sensuality of an artist who loves the forest more than he loves the idea of the forest.
