Pastoral Scene at Auvers Sur Oise, Ca 1880 by Dutch Friend of Van Gogh's Working in France Barbizon Oil on Canvas

You may have recognised the church in the painting, Our Lady of the Assumption in Auvers sur Oise, made famous by van Gogh's 1890 portrait of it. Interestingly, the present work was painted by a fellow Dutchman, an artist who van Gogh admired, Théophile Emile Achille de Bock (1851-1904). De Bock began his career as a clerk for the Dutch Railways Company, but was dismissed for spending too much time painting and drawing! He subsequently studied in The Hague with J.W. van Borselen, Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch and Jacob Maris. De Bock specialised in landscapes, particularly views of wooded countryside and forests. While living in Paris (1880-1883) and Barbizon (1878-1880), he was influenced by the artists Corot, Millet, and Rousseau. Corot's soft and subtle colours can be found the present painting, and influence of the Barbizon school masters is palpable.Van Gogh greatly admired the paintings of de Bock and in letters to his brother Theo, Van Gogh praised De Bock’s artistic abilities:

"It was a pleasure to make De Bock’s acquaintance, I was in his studio. He’s making a large painting of the dunes which has much that is good. But that chap should start drawing figures, in my opinion, in order to produce a whole lot of other things. I believe that he has a true painter’s temperament and that we haven’t heard the last of him yet. He idolises Millet and Corot, but, did those two take pains over the figures, yes or no?"

Works by de Bock are in the collections of the Tate Gallery, the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, Dundee Art Galleries, Leeds Art Gallery, Touchstones Rochdale and Salford Museum and Art Galleries.

Our oil on canvas is monogrammed by de Bock and indistinctly dated at the lower right. Measuring 40.5 x 33 cm, the overall size in a gorgeous period frame which however has visible wear and repair is 57 x 49 cm.

Nous parlons français, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.