Artwork
Autumn
Autumn is an unspecified painting by the French Romanticist artist Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli. It dates from 1868 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1868, this landscape by French painter Adolphe Monticelli depicts a wooded area in the season of autumn. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed among other 19th‑century French paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a dense stand of trees whose foliage is primarily green, interspersed with patches of yellow and brown that suggest the transition into fall. A narrow path winds through the forest, and two diminutive figures can be seen moving along it, almost concealed by the surrounding trunks, adding a narrative element of quiet passage.
Technique & Style
Monticelli employs a vigorous impasto application, building up thick layers of paint that give the surface a tactile, uneven texture. The brushwork is rough and expressive, creating a sense of immediacy and movement that conveys the atmosphere of a fleeting glance at the scene rather than a polished rendering.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the early 20th century, though specific details of its earlier ownership remain limited. Its presence in the museum’s collection reflects the institution’s broader interest in representing the diversity of French landscape painting from the mid‑1800s.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli
Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli (October 14, 1824 – June 29, 1886) was a French painter of the generation preceding the Impressionists.
