Clearing in a beautiful Forest of Oaks, Ca. 1845.

French landscape painter, Emile Lambinet studied under Horace Vernet and Corot. He exhibited in the Salon regularly between 1833 and 1878. He won a number of medals in 1843, 1853 and 1857. In 1867, he was made Knight of the Legion of Honour. He spent most of his life in the area west of Paris, first in Versailles, his home town, and from 1860 on in Bougival.

The Lambinet Museum, the municipal museum of Versailles, holds its name from a cousin of the artist, Victor Lambinet (1813-1894), a lawyer and judge, son of Jean-François Lambinet (1783-1864), who was mayor of Versailles.

Our picture shows a clearing in a forest with a pond, a woman guarding cows and some men working the wood. The right side of our painting is done in dense brushstrokes and includes skilful lighting effects, whereas the left part of the work is painted in a very sketchy way, showing all the spontaneity of his brushstroke. In the centre of the painting, the sky is shimmering from a white-pink towards an intense blue. The pond is reflecting this luminosity.

Lambinet was very talented for depicting atmospheric conditions. This large and ambitious painting which yet announces Impressionism, reveals the influence of Constant Troyon.