Forest Scene1874
Narcisse Diaz de la Peña painted this in 1874, aged 67. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
The painting depicts a forest floor under tall trees, with a grassy path leading into the distance. The sky is obscured by dense green foliage and tree limbs. Rocks and shrubs are visible on the ground, and the forest stretches into the distance. The trees are dark brown, with patches of white suggesting dappled light coming in through the branches above. The leaves and ground are mostly dark green, with some patches of brown, lighter green, and yellow.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Narcisse Diaz de la Peña painted this in 1874, aged 67. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Oil on panel
- Oil paint on prepared wooden boards, usually oak in the north and poplar in Italy. The rigid, smooth surface suits fine detail and thin, glowing glazes.
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Narcisse Diaz de la Peña
French, 1807–1876
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1949.1.4
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Painting
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
