Village au Pied des Montagnes

Medium: Oil On Canvas
Size: 29 x 42.5 cm (16.7 x 11.4 in)
Signed: signed lower right: At Lapito

Louis-Auguste Lapito is thought of as one of the great naturalist landscape painters of mid-19th century France. He was born in Joinville-le-Pont and at the age of 15 apprenticed in the studio of Louis Watelet, before becoming the student of François Heim. He began exhibitioning his work at the Salon de Paris and continued to do so until 1870. King Louis-Philippe purchased Lapito’s works to decorate the apartments of the royal palaces. Three were sent to the Chateau de Saint-Cloud (in the apartments of Queen Marie-Amelie, the Prince of Joinville and Princess Adelaide) and two were sent to the Chateau de Compiegne to decorate the Duchess of Orleans’ apartments.

In 1820, Lapito frequented the forest of Fontainebleau with the artists of the first Barbizon school. Much of his inspiration and work came from his numerous voyages to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Corsica and various French provinces. He particularly liked depicting the landscapes of Dauphine, l’Auvergne and Normandy.

His landscapes often follow classical landscape rules but show great attention to detail and accurate topography. Renowned as a master colourist, his colours are light and mystic as captured in Village au pied des montagnes. The cool colours of the mountain are reflected in the silvery field by the village and the soft green tufts of foliage which encompass the village give the piece an airy and fresh quality. Lapito’s landscape of a simple village set against the grandeur of mountains romanticizes and evokes a wonderment of modest mountain life.