Corot, Jean-Baptiste-Camille (1796-1875)
Agostina
1866
Oil on canvas, 132.4 x 97.6 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington
This model was likely an immigrant from the rural region near Rome. Corot dressed her in traditional costume and placed her in an Italian landscape. He used strong darks and lights to paint her solid shoulders, deep-set eyes, and chiseled nose. The artist captures her dignified, monumental presence.
Corot was the most influential French landscape painter of the 19th century. He also excelled at figure paintings, though they belonged to a more private practice. He rarely showed or sold them. Agostina is the largest and among the best-known examples. (NGA)