The Pond

This ideal landscape, based on an actual pasture the Limousin region of France, is a verdant oasis complete with clear pond, rolling hills, strong trees, and a calm sky with low clouds gliding above. The only indication of human involvement is the path at the side; otherwise, the scene and pasture belong to the cows –specifically a sturdy, muscular breed of cow native to this region. Jules Dupré was a prominent French landscape painter, who as influenced by his peers – Théodore Rousseau among them – and by 17th century Dutch landscape artists.