Oaks of Fontainebleau - The Bodmer Oak
Firstly I saw this oil of Monet, at the exhibition hosted by the Washington Art Gallery. The title was a bit uncommon: Bodmer Oak. I already knew by that time that the oaks in Fontainebleau could have been fascinating, characters in their own right, with history and all that stuff. Bodmer Oak of Monet was coming after Le Rageur of Corot.
Claude Monet - The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest, 1865
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
However, why Bodmer? There was an explanation: that oak had been famous for the fascination it had had on a Swiss artist who had come times and again over this oak The artist was Bodmer.
I was expecting to find works by Bodmer now, which did not happen. Instead, I came in front of a photo made by Eugène Cuvelier: Beech Trees near the Bodmer Oak.
Eugène Cuvelier - Beech Trees near the Bodmer Oak, early 1860s
Private Collection
And then I saw another depiction of the Bodmer Oak: a cliché-verre, the author was Adolphe-André Wacquez: Bodmer Oak at Bas-Bréau.
Adolphe-André Wacquez - The Bodmer Oak at Bas-Bréau, 1860, cliché-verre
Washington National Gallery of Art
Well, I decided to go on with my search for Bodmer, and at last I found his biography and also some good images, of his works, hosted by museums in Boston, Liege, San Francisco and Paris.
His life was impressive. He participated at a famous scientific expedition on Missouri, between 1832 and 1833. The expedition was lead by Prinz Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied, the sovereign of a minuscule German principality and a passionated naturalist and etnographer. This was actually the second expedition led by the Prince; prior to Missouri he had been in Brazil (in 1815-1817). Bodmer was only on the second journey, up the river of Missouri (traveling through Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming), where took photographs and made sketches: they were included in the book written by the Prince, Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America.
The Prince would travel also to Honduras. As for Bodmer, he would later set to France, at Barbizon. He became a French citizen: and so Karl became Charles. And Charles Bodmer fell in love for the forest of Fontainebleau and for one oak there.
He died at Barbizon in 1893, aged 84.
Charles Bodmer - Interieur de foret
Université de Liège
Charles Bodmer - Sketchbook page with turkeys and waterfowl, drawing
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
(In the Forest of Fontainebleau - from Corot to Monet)
(Monet)
Claude Monet - The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest, 1865New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
However, why Bodmer? There was an explanation: that oak had been famous for the fascination it had had on a Swiss artist who had come times and again over this oak The artist was Bodmer.
I was expecting to find works by Bodmer now, which did not happen. Instead, I came in front of a photo made by Eugène Cuvelier: Beech Trees near the Bodmer Oak.
Eugène Cuvelier - Beech Trees near the Bodmer Oak, early 1860sPrivate Collection
And then I saw another depiction of the Bodmer Oak: a cliché-verre, the author was Adolphe-André Wacquez: Bodmer Oak at Bas-Bréau.
Adolphe-André Wacquez - The Bodmer Oak at Bas-Bréau, 1860, cliché-verreWashington National Gallery of Art
Well, I decided to go on with my search for Bodmer, and at last I found his biography and also some good images, of his works, hosted by museums in Boston, Liege, San Francisco and Paris.
His life was impressive. He participated at a famous scientific expedition on Missouri, between 1832 and 1833. The expedition was lead by Prinz Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied, the sovereign of a minuscule German principality and a passionated naturalist and etnographer. This was actually the second expedition led by the Prince; prior to Missouri he had been in Brazil (in 1815-1817). Bodmer was only on the second journey, up the river of Missouri (traveling through Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming), where took photographs and made sketches: they were included in the book written by the Prince, Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America.
The Prince would travel also to Honduras. As for Bodmer, he would later set to France, at Barbizon. He became a French citizen: and so Karl became Charles. And Charles Bodmer fell in love for the forest of Fontainebleau and for one oak there.
He died at Barbizon in 1893, aged 84.
Charles Bodmer - Interieur de foretUniversité de Liège
Charles Bodmer - Sketchbook page with turkeys and waterfowl, drawingBoston Museum of Fine Arts
(In the Forest of Fontainebleau - from Corot to Monet)
(Monet)
Labels: Monet
posted by Pierre Radulescu at
3:39 PM
6 Comments:
Do you know if the Bodmer Oak still stands? I couldn't find it on Google Earth or in Wikipedia.
By
agt, at 8:30 PM
Unfortunately I don't know either.
Probably we should look in a book about today's Barbizon and Fontainebleau. I will try to see whether I can find something and I will let you know. Actually your comment raises a very interesting question: what is it today there?
By
Pierre Radulescu, at 11:55 PM
I just emailed the Fontainebleau tourist office: http://www.uk.fontainebleau-tourisme.com
I doubt they'll be able to help, but if they do reply I'll post it here.
By
agt, at 10:44 AM
Thank you, that would be great.
I tried today to find books about Fontainebleau or Barbizon in some DC's bookshops. Not much luck. The only reference was in a book about Cezanne (Conversations with Cezanne): his son had bought a house in the village of Barbizon by 1904.
Tomorrow I'll try a search with Google Books: to find books where the Bodmer Oak is referred. It sounds unpractical: actually it is. I tried a couple of days ago this way to find references about a South African jeweler (Kurt Jobst) and I was able to recreate the general lines of his biography. I think I will post next week this story.
By
Pierre Radulescu, at 10:23 PM
Thanks so much for posting this. I was interested in learning more about Monet's painting ("The Bodmer Oak"), and this is very helpful.
By
ewallt, at 2:15 PM
Thanks so much for posting this. I was interested in learning more about Monet's painting ("The Bodmer Oak"), and this is very helpful.
By
Tom, at 2:16 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home