A Castle in a Wood

This landscape painting is carefully constructed with a balance of colour and shape that imbues it with a languid sense of calm. Rendered in subdued hues that evoke the serenity of a wooded glade, the peaceful scene encourages the viewer to follow the threads of an imaginary tale through an idyllic setting. Two classical figures in the foreground appear in mid conversation. The staff held by the standing figure directs attention towards a barely visible group of people on the distant path, their minute forms suggested with dabs of blue and brown. The tall trees to the right and left of the foreground serve to frame this scene – a device known among French painters as a ‘coulisse’, a theatrical term referring to the wings at the side of a stage. Between the trees, the standing figure moves across the stark line that divides the sunlit path and shaded foreground. This band of sunlight draws the eye along the track, suggesting a route up the hillside to the castle, which forms a triangular peak in the centre of the composition. Defined against the softly graded tones of billowing clouds, the crisp details of the castle stand out to provide another imaginary element to the story below. 

Poetic landscape paintings were increasingly popular in the seventeenth century. Gaspard Dughet (1615-75) was well known for a style that married the colour and atmospheric effects of the French landscape painter Claude Lorrain (1604-82), with the balanced compositions of his neo-classical compatriot, Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665). Based in Rome, Dughet, the son of a French pastry cook, was known for his ‘Land Storm’ paintings, using dramatic clouds and lighting to create atmospheric works. In this example, painted by a follower of Dughet, the subject is less dramatic. The tonal changes throughout the painting – moving from a dark green foreground to lighter green mid-ground, culminating in a calm blue sky – are typical of Claude’s approach. The classical figures and balanced, triangular composition are drawn from Poussin’s repertoire. In fact, after Poussin married Dughet’s sister, Anne, Dughet adopted Poussin as a surname, underlining his success and place in the community of artists working in Rome.