1820 -1875 · Close, models and workshop figures

Corot paints close, servants and models with attentive sobriety: costume, gesture and calm background give each figure a distinct presence of the landscape.

Camille Corot is primarily celebrated as a landscaper, but her portraits and figures are among the most personal aspects of her work. He paints his family, friends, children, maids and studio models, often without seeking public exposure. His self-portraits show a simple professional identity, near the easel or with the painter's attributes. The Bride, portrait of Édouard Cibot's servant, combines ceremonial clothing and individual observation. Haydée and young women in Greek or Italian costume belong more to the studio figure: the literary costume creates a role, but the face retains its own calm. The Workshop of Corot puts a woman in front of an easel and thinks about the look, the model and the making of the image. Women collecting bundles or rustic muses connect figure and rural world. Corot uses a muffled range, a firm design and few accessories. The result is a silent presence, often more modern than its poetic titles. The selection "Portraits and figures of Camille Corot" notably compares A woman collecting bundles in Ville-d'Avray and Young girl weaving a garland. His reading favors color.

In Corot's figures, the costume can invent a role, but the face remains calm enough to resist the character.