Passage by Boat, near Douai

Dark trees spread their branches widely at the left, and a calm expanse of water lies in the foreground. The sky shifts from pale rose to gray, and a row of low houses is visible small on the far bank. It is an oil painting, 50.5 cm high by 80.0 cm wide.

According to the Shimane Art Museum, this is a riverside scene near Douai, a subject Corot liked to paint. The moment before sunset is rendered in soft, delicate brushwork and color, and the clarity of the sky, the effect of light reflected on the water, and the rustling trees come together in a poetic landscape veiled in silvery gray.

Corot established this style around 1850, and his distinctive silvery gray was popular, bringing a flood of orders from collectors and dealers. While he showed mythological and historical subjects at the Salon, he was also keen to paint nature faithfully outdoors. At the museum, it is shown in Gallery 1, the gallery of water-themed paintings.