Description
Dense trees enclose a quiet woodland clearing, a single tree in golden autumn colour standing out at the left against the darker green surrounding it. Grey rocks and a still pool break the ground in the foreground, and no figures disturb the stillness of the scene.
Painted in 1865 and held by the Detroit Institute of Arts, the canvas (57.2 by 82.6 cm) is an early Renoir landscape, close in spirit to the Barbizon painters he admired before Impressionism took hold of his brushwork. The print keeps the golden tree distinct against the darker green woods, since it is the one warm accent breaking an otherwise cool, shaded clearing.



