Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Private collection
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1987
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Robert Vonnoh
(American, 1858–1933)
Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden)
1890
Oil on canvas board
Image: 25 7/8 x 19 3/4 in. (65.7 x 50.2 cm)
Frame: 40 1/2 x 34 7/16 in. (102.9 x 87.5 cm)
Frame: 40 1/2 x 34 7/16 in. (102.9 x 87.5 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1987.8
SignedLower left: Vonnoh 1890
InterpretationIn a springtime garden against the wall of a farmhouse, a woman holds a small child up to a flowering shrub to pick its pink blossoms. The woman’s drab, enveloping gown, wooden sabots (traditional peasant footwear), and kerchief identify her as a local inhabitant of Grez-sur-Loing, the French rural village in which Vonnoh painted this work. Their faces turned from the viewer, the figures are absorbed in contemplating the flowers. The informal composition, with the figures set off-center and the building behind them forming a backdrop, is complemented by Vonnoh’s rough, rapid application of paint in short, choppy strokes.
The vivid brushwork, garden theme, and informal composition of Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden) all are hallmarks of impressionism, the late nineteenth-century movement to capture in painting the transience of everyday reality using pure, unmixed color in distinct spots of pigment that mimic the effects of natural light and movement. Vonnoh began to embrace impressionism around 1888 in such works as Poppies in France (TF 1987.9), in which the illusion of reality all but dissolves in dashed strokes of pure color. Painted two years later, Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden) demonstrates the fusing of the new style with a concern for structure and for three-dimensional modeling deeply ingrained in the artist and his American contemporaries trained in traditional art academies. The clearly delineated figures, the low stone bank behind them, and the wall of the farmhouse define receding spatial planes. Shadows cast from the left, which suggest that the view is of a sheltered corner between two intersecting wings of the farmhouse, further indicate recession into space even as they precisely mark the fleeting moment depicted. The single, deeply recessed window punctuating the blank stuccoed wall provides a series of regular lines and angles that play off the casual disarray of the garden and of the vibrant dashes of paint with which it is depicted. The deliberate organization and controlled execution of Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden) mark it as the product of careful studio work based on sketches, in contrast to the direct, spontaneous painting en plein air, or outdoors and on site, that is a hallmark of French impressionism.
The garden, particularly the woman in a garden, inspired numerous interpretations in late nineteenth-century painting in Europe and America. For American impressionist painters—most of them trained as figural artists—the female form, surrounded by colorful blossoms under bright outdoor light, made an ideal combination. Tended by local women, the farmhouse gardens of Grez were among the attractions that had long brought artists to the village. American painter Wilbur Dean Hamilton, for example, painted his own impressionist rendering of a woman in a farmhouse garden, Afternoon, Grez (TF 1989.14). The similarities between Hamilton’s and Vonnoh’s paintings suggest the fluid exchange of ideas among painters in artist colonies such as Grez as they experimented with new aesthetics and sought out subjects through which to explore them.
The vivid brushwork, garden theme, and informal composition of Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden) all are hallmarks of impressionism, the late nineteenth-century movement to capture in painting the transience of everyday reality using pure, unmixed color in distinct spots of pigment that mimic the effects of natural light and movement. Vonnoh began to embrace impressionism around 1888 in such works as Poppies in France (TF 1987.9), in which the illusion of reality all but dissolves in dashed strokes of pure color. Painted two years later, Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden) demonstrates the fusing of the new style with a concern for structure and for three-dimensional modeling deeply ingrained in the artist and his American contemporaries trained in traditional art academies. The clearly delineated figures, the low stone bank behind them, and the wall of the farmhouse define receding spatial planes. Shadows cast from the left, which suggest that the view is of a sheltered corner between two intersecting wings of the farmhouse, further indicate recession into space even as they precisely mark the fleeting moment depicted. The single, deeply recessed window punctuating the blank stuccoed wall provides a series of regular lines and angles that play off the casual disarray of the garden and of the vibrant dashes of paint with which it is depicted. The deliberate organization and controlled execution of Jardin de paysanne (Peasant Garden) mark it as the product of careful studio work based on sketches, in contrast to the direct, spontaneous painting en plein air, or outdoors and on site, that is a hallmark of French impressionism.
The garden, particularly the woman in a garden, inspired numerous interpretations in late nineteenth-century painting in Europe and America. For American impressionist painters—most of them trained as figural artists—the female form, surrounded by colorful blossoms under bright outdoor light, made an ideal combination. Tended by local women, the farmhouse gardens of Grez were among the attractions that had long brought artists to the village. American painter Wilbur Dean Hamilton, for example, painted his own impressionist rendering of a woman in a farmhouse garden, Afternoon, Grez (TF 1989.14). The similarities between Hamilton’s and Vonnoh’s paintings suggest the fluid exchange of ideas among painters in artist colonies such as Grez as they experimented with new aesthetics and sought out subjects through which to explore them.
Private collection
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1987
Exhibition History
Paintings by Robert W. Vonnoh, William & Everett Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, November 9–21, 1891, no. 22.
Special Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1892, no. 22.
World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, May 1–October 31, 1893.
Grez Days: Robert Vonnoh in France, Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York (organizer). Venues: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, May 6–June 19, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Americans at Home and Abroad, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 6–29, 1987.
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995. [exh. cat.]
Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
D'une colonie à une collection: le Musée d'Art Américain Giverny fête ses dix ans (From a Colony to a Collection: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 30–June 16, 2002 (on exhibit extended run: March 30–November 30, 2002).
Giverny en fleurs (Giverny in Bloom), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 2–November 30, 2003.
En plein air: personnages dans un paysage (En Plein Air: Figures in a Landscape), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004 (on exhibit partial run: April 1–July 5, 2004).
The American Impressionists in the Garden, Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee (organiser). Venues: Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee, March 13–September 6, 2010; Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida, September 24, 2010–January 3, 2011; Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio, February 18–May 15, 2011. [exh. cat.]
Monet and American Impressionism, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida in partnership with Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia and Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee (organizers). Venues: Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, February 3–May 24, 2015; Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 27–September 20, 2015; Telfair Museum's Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, Georgia, October 16, 2015–January 24, 2016. [exh. cat.]
Special Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1892, no. 22.
World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, May 1–October 31, 1893.
Grez Days: Robert Vonnoh in France, Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York (organizer). Venues: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, May 6–June 19, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Americans at Home and Abroad, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 6–29, 1987.
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995. [exh. cat.]
Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
D'une colonie à une collection: le Musée d'Art Américain Giverny fête ses dix ans (From a Colony to a Collection: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 30–June 16, 2002 (on exhibit extended run: March 30–November 30, 2002).
Giverny en fleurs (Giverny in Bloom), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 2–November 30, 2003.
En plein air: personnages dans un paysage (En Plein Air: Figures in a Landscape), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004 (on exhibit partial run: April 1–July 5, 2004).
The American Impressionists in the Garden, Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee (organiser). Venues: Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee, March 13–September 6, 2010; Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida, September 24, 2010–January 3, 2011; Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio, February 18–May 15, 2011. [exh. cat.]
Monet and American Impressionism, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida in partnership with Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia and Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee (organizers). Venues: Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, February 3–May 24, 2015; Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 27–September 20, 2015; Telfair Museum's Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, Georgia, October 16, 2015–January 24, 2016. [exh. cat.]
Campanile Galleries, Inc. American Paintings. (exh cat, Campanile Galleries, Inc.). Chicago: Campanile Galleries, Inc., 1980. Text pp. 9; ill. p. 9 (color).
America Paintings IV 1986. New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1986. Text p. 70; ill. p. 71 (color).
Hill, May Brawley. Grez Days: Robert Vonnoh in France. (exh. cat., Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc.). New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1987. Text pp. 27, 45 (checklist); ill. cover (color), fig. 11, p. 27 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 202; pl. 45, p. 203 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 202; pl. 45, p. 203 (color).
Revisiting the White City: American Art at the 1893 World's Fair. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art and National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1993. Ill. no. 363, p. 340 (black & white).
The Painters in Grez-sur-Loing. (exh. cat., Yamanashi Kenritsu Bijutsukan). Japan: The Japan Association of Art Museums, 2000. Ill. p. 133 (color).
Hill, May Brawley. The American Impressionists in the Garden. (ex. cat., Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tenessee). Nashville: Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art and Vanderbilt University Press, 2010. Text p. 9, 121 (checklist); ill. pl. 11, pp. 50–51 (color).
The American Impressionists in the Garden, American Art Review (April 2010): 82–91, 126–128. Text p. 91, ill. p. 84 (color).
Román, Dulce M. Monet and American Impressionism. (exh. cat. Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville). Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida, 2015. Ill. p. 108 (color).
America Paintings IV 1986. New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1986. Text p. 70; ill. p. 71 (color).
Hill, May Brawley. Grez Days: Robert Vonnoh in France. (exh. cat., Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc.). New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1987. Text pp. 27, 45 (checklist); ill. cover (color), fig. 11, p. 27 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 202; pl. 45, p. 203 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 202; pl. 45, p. 203 (color).
Revisiting the White City: American Art at the 1893 World's Fair. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art and National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1993. Ill. no. 363, p. 340 (black & white).
The Painters in Grez-sur-Loing. (exh. cat., Yamanashi Kenritsu Bijutsukan). Japan: The Japan Association of Art Museums, 2000. Ill. p. 133 (color).
Hill, May Brawley. The American Impressionists in the Garden. (ex. cat., Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tenessee). Nashville: Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art and Vanderbilt University Press, 2010. Text p. 9, 121 (checklist); ill. pl. 11, pp. 50–51 (color).
The American Impressionists in the Garden, American Art Review (April 2010): 82–91, 126–128. Text p. 91, ill. p. 84 (color).
Román, Dulce M. Monet and American Impressionism. (exh. cat. Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville). Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida, 2015. Ill. p. 108 (color).