Boat with a Pollard Willow

1863

This small painting was probably executed en plein air, much as the artist in this boat is doing. A piece of paper is clipped to the lid of his paintbox. He uses a maulstick as a support while painting. The brilliant backlighting creates a powerful light-dark contrast in this painting. A striking element of the composition is the diagonal placement of the pollard willow, which blocks the view of the landscape.