Artwork
Shooting the Woodcock
Shooting the Woodcock is a print by the Impressionist artist Charles Jacque. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Shooting the Woodcock is a 1864 print by Charles-Émile Jacque, a French artist of the Barbizon School. The work captures a serene forest moment, juxtaposing the tranquility of nature with the tension of a hunt.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a solitary hunter aiming at a woodcock, a small bird, in a forest setting. The composition conveys the intense focus of the hunter at the precise moment before the shot, highlighting the intersection of human activity and the natural world.
Technique & Style
Jacque's background in engraving, honed during his seven years producing maps in the French Army, influences the print's detailed rendering of textures, from the rough tree trunks to the dense underbrush, characteristic of the Barbizon School's emphasis on naturalistic depiction.
History & Provenance
Created in 1864, Shooting the Woodcock is part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, reflecting Jacque's contribution to the Barbizon School's pastoral and natural themes.
Context
The work embodies the Barbizon School's focus on rural life and the natural world, diverging from more urban or historical themes prevalent in mid-19th-century French art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles-Émile Jacque (23 May 1813 – 7 May 1894) was a French painter of Pastoralism and engraver who was, with Jean-François Millet, part of the Barbizon School. He first learned to engrave maps when he spent seven years in the French Army.
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