Artwork
Family at Terracina (Une famille a terracine)
Family at Terracina (Une famille a terracine) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. It dates from 1871 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1871, *Family at Terracina* is a lithographic print by the French artist Jean‑Baptiste‑Camille Corot.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1871, *Family at Terracina* is a lithographic print by the French artist Jean‑Baptiste‑Camille Corot. The work presents a modest riverside tableau that merges a domestic grouping with a broader landscape, reflecting Corot’s interest in situating human activity within natural settings.
Subject & Meaning
The image portrays two adults and two children standing near a riverbank, under a solitary, leaning tree. A rocky outcrop rises behind them, suggesting the coastal terrain of Terracina. The composition balances the intimacy of the family group with the openness of the surrounding environment, hinting at a quiet moment of leisure or travel.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the print relies on swift, economical lines that convey form without elaborate detail. Soft, diffused lighting and deliberately blurred edges—particularly in the water and distant hills—give the piece a sketch‑like immediacy, emphasizing atmosphere over precise rendering.
Context
Corot, renowned for his landscape paintings, occupied a transitional position between the academic classicism of the early 19th century and the emerging plein‑air practices that would later influence Impressionism. This lithograph exemplifies his willingness to explore print media as a means of disseminating his evolving visual approach.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (UK: KORR-oh, US: kə-ROH, kor-OH; French: ; 16 July 1796 – 22 February 1875), or simply Camille Corot, was a French landscape and portrait painter as well as a printmaker in etching.
Harvesters Surprised by the Storm (Moissonneuses surprises par l'orage)
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Sappho (Sapho)
Pietà (3e planche) (Pietà) (third plate)
Harvesters Surprised by the Storm (Moissoneuses surprises par l'orage)
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Washerwomen
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Study for "The Deluge"
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Farm Children (Les Enfants de la ferme)