Farm in Barbizon, 1874

This small oil painting affords the view of a farmyard with old barrels, geese, puddles of water and a figure clad in a blue dress and white hat. The color palette consists of varying shades of white and brown. Max Liebermann (1847–1935) painted this work as a small study for a large-scale painting executed later, which is now lost. This work by the most eminent German Impressionist was created during his study years. Having moved from Berlin to Paris in 1873, he spent the following summer in Barbizon near the forest of Fontainebleau. There, he explored the traces of the French landscape artists who visited the village in search of an immediate approach to nature far removed from the teachings of art academies. Like them, Liebermann derived great innovative impetus from painting en plein air and from turning towards realistic renderings, thus paving the way for Impressionism.

AK, 2021