Corot and Nineteenth Century Travelers in Italy

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot painted in Italy during visits in 1825-28, 1834, and 1843. His works recorded a number of special and distinctive qualities including the brilliant light; the clarity and prismatic solidity of forms; buildings blending with the landscape; the lack of figures; and (in the north) muted gray-green tonalities. All of these qualities were also noted by traveler's' accounts during this period, especially in the diary of Anna Jameson, suggesting that these "typically Corot" elements were in fact visible to any receptive traveler. (DDR)