Description
| Title: | Sawmill, Outskirts of Paris |
| Other titles: | Sawmill, Outskirts of Paris (the museum’s title) |
| Painter: | Henri Rousseau |
| Year painted: | about 1893–1895 |
| Original size: | 25.5 cm x 45.5 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | naive art (primitivism) |
| Held at: | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, nine sizes or a size made to order |
Sawmill, Outskirts of Paris is a painting by Henri Rousseau, oil on canvas, dated about 1893–1895 by the Art Institute of Chicago. What you see: the white buildings of a sawmill on a white slope, a winding road with a woman and a child walking along it, a red brick wall and autumn trees under a grey-green sky. We paint it by hand in oils, in nine sizes or to measure, and send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
Sawmill, Outskirts of Paris
What is on the canvas?
At the left stand the white buildings of the sawmill with pale sloping roofs and a smaller house with a red roof, and below them the slope falls away in broad white bands. In the distance a tall lattice tower rises above the trees. Rows of dark bushes stand in front of the mill, a red brick wall with a dark shed stands in the middle, and at the right a pale road winds through the grass, where a woman in black and a child are walking. On the right edge grows a thin tree with red berries, with autumn trees in browns and greens behind. The signature, H. Rousseau, is at the lower left. Another view of the outskirts of Paris by the same painter is Outskirts of Paris.
What does the painting mean?
Rousseau liked to paint places on the edge of Paris, where the city faded into the countryside: here a workshop, a road and trees. The white of the buildings and the slope stands out strongly against the autumn colours of the trees, and the small figure of the woman with the child shows how wide the scene is. The painting is narrow and long, almost a panorama, and fills a wide wall beautifully. Another scene from the edge of Paris is Toll Gate.
Which size suits which wall?
The original is 25.5 cm high and 45.5 cm wide, a markedly wide panoramic format; 195 x 110 and 90 x 50 cm come closest to its proportion. Nine sizes are available: 84 x 46, 90 x 50, 104 x 60, 120 x 65, 130 x 75, 150 x 85, 195 x 110, 220 x 125 and 270 x 155 cm. The long shape is made for the space above a sofa, a bed or a chest of drawers; above a sofa we recommend 150 x 85 cm or larger, and 104 x 60 cm above a chest of drawers. Above a sofa the painting usually takes about two thirds of the width of the furniture; above a bed it should stay narrower than the headboard. Custom sizes are ordered through the made-to-order painting page, where you enter the width and height; we suggest keeping the proportion of the original and changing only the scale. A landscape from the surroundings of Paris by the same painter is Environs de Paris.
How is the painting made, and does it come framed?
Your canvas is begun only after you order it, and is painted by hand in oils in our workshop in Slovenia, at the size you choose. The painter lays in the sky and the trees at the back first, then the white buildings and the slope, then the bushes, the wall and the road, and last the tower, the berry tree and the woman and child. We do not print, and no machine application is used, so no two versions are exactly alike. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and arrives ready to hang; a picture frame is not included in the price and is chosen separately. Before packing we photograph the finished painting and send you the photograph for approval; only then does it travel. A view of the Paris fortifications by the same painter is View of the Fortifications to the Left of the Gate of Vanves. The whole collection is in the Henri Rousseau gallery.
How is it delivered, and what do we guarantee?
We deliver to Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Germany. Depending on its size, the canvas travels rolled in a rigid tube or stretched on its frame, always in protective wrapping and as a tracked parcel. The making time depends on the size and is confirmed when you order. We guarantee that every painting is painted by hand and that you see a photograph of the finished work before dispatch; if anything in it is not as you wish, we correct it before it leaves the workshop.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original kept?
At the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, USA.
When was it painted?
About 1893–1895, the dating the museum gives.
Is a frame included?
No. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and ready to hang without a picture frame; a frame can be chosen separately.
Is this a print?
No. It is painted by hand in oils, and the layers of paint can be seen and felt.
Is the painting suitable as a gift?
Yes, especially for someone who loves the countryside, autumn and old Paris. If you would rather the recipient chose, there is a gift voucher.
- Subject: the white buildings of a sawmill on a slope, a winding road with a woman and a child, a red brick wall and autumn trees.
- Original: oil on canvas, 25.5 x 45.5 cm, Art Institute of Chicago; about 1893–1895.
- Our version: hand-painted oil, nine sizes from 84 x 46 to 270 x 155 cm or to measure, unframed, photograph before dispatch.
- Of note: the long panoramic format is made for the space above a sofa or a bed.
