Paul Désiré Trouillebert (1829 - Paris -1900) was born in Paris, 1829; he was an artist of the first order and best known for his beautiful landscapes. Trouillebert paintings resembled that of his predecessor, Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot and his work was often mistaken for Corot’s throughout Trouillebert’s life. He was not just interested in painting landscapes similar to those of the Barbizon school, but also painted portraits, nudes and even experimented quite successfully with Orientalism..  Trouillebert had trained under Auguste Antoine Ernest Hébert (1817-1908), an artist who worked primarily in drawing and diverse subject matter, like that of portraits, mythology, and the Roman countryside. He exhibited at the Salon from 1865 to 1884 earning rave reviews throughout the years, entering many portraits as this particular subject did not test traditions or the Salons jurors or their audiences. He was particularly fond of the river landscape at dawn or dusk approaching his with a soft brush stroke and a subdued palate. When first exposed to Corot’s work, Trouillebert took a keen interest in it and immersed himself in Corot’s techniques. He focused on landscape painting and began working en plein-air (in open air), so it’s no wonder that his work became more and more associated with the Barbizon school. Trouillebert enjoyed a very successful career and a continuous demand for his work in his lifetime; his paintings were included in some of the world’s greatest public and private collections including that of Edgar Degas who owned several of his canvases. He was a complete painter and never confined himself to a genre. Trouillebert concentrated on portraits until about 1881, when he began to focus on atmospheric silvery landscapes steeping in cool damp color. In 1882, he exhibited a large landscape titled “Baignneuses” which was well received and helped him gain a reputation as a landscape painter. Another noted work was commissioned by Edmé Piot, a public works contractor. The painting, “Travaux de relèvement du chemin de fer de ceinture: le pont du Cours de Vincennes” (Cleveland Museum) was of a railway project initiated in 1851, after Napoleon III came to power. The commission included four related views of the Paris railway construction, which was completed in February 1889. After the 1860’s, the misty Barbizon landscapes by Jean-Baptist- Camille Corot’s [1796-1875] had become astonishingly vogue, which brought about a trove of imitators. His followers and students; Henri Joseph Constant Dutilleux [1807-1865], George Devillers, Achille François Oudinot [1820-1901], Edouard Brandon [1831-1887] and Trouillebert were not trying to mislead the public, he was their idol. However, the greatest confusion has always been over works by Corot and Trouillebert because both artists painted river landscapes at dawn or dusk with a very similar approach, palette and style. Like Corot, Trouillebert painted a wide variety of subjects, including genre scenes, portraits and nudes. . Trouillebert would receive the most attention as a result of an 1883 court case involving one of his paintings. The painting “La Fontaine des Gabourets” had been sold by one of Paris’ more prominent dealers George Petit to writer Alexandre Dumas fils. Trouillebert’s signature and been removed and resigned Corot. The fake was discovered by Robaut and Bernheim-Jeune and returned to the original seller, Tedesco. Trouillebert, who had nothing to do with the fraud, brought legal action against the guilty parties to regain his reputation and clear his name. The trial made all of the papers and Trouillebert won his case. George Pettit was also cleared because he had purchased the painting in good faith. Both artists benefited from all of the attention brought by the newspaper articles.

Paul Désiré Trouillebert enjoyed a very successful career and a continuous demand for his work. His paintings were included in some the world’s most prominent public and private art collections, including that of Edgar Degas, who owned several of his canvases.

Museums:

The Hermitage Museum , St.Petersburg, Russia

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Musée de Puy: “Effet de Matin, bouleau et rivière”, “Effet de pluie, environs de Vichy”
Mulhouse: “Paysage”
Nice: “Servante de harem”
Reichenberg: “Paysage au bord d’une rivière”
Reims: “La baigneuse”
Saumur: “Portrait de femme”, “Ariane abandonnée”, “La Loire á Montsoreau” ; Cleveland Museum: “Travaux de relèvement du chemin de fer de ceinture: le pont du Cours de Vincennes”

Experts: The painting was expected in september 2007 by the expert for 19 century paintings of auctionshouse Christie's/London  Mr. Andrew .

Literature: E. Benezit, Grund, Vol. X, pg. 264
Dictionnaire Des Peintres Paysagistes Français Au XIX Siècle, Harambourg, pg. 332 and front cover
Thieme/Becker "Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon", Leipzig, 1975