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Claude Joseph Vernet, The Shipwreck, 1772, National Gallery
of Art, Washington, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Chester Dale Fund
2000.22.1 |
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François
Boucher, The Love Letter, 1750, National Gallery of Art,
Washington, Timken Collection 1960.6.3 |
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What
made Vernet's work so popular? Unlike his contemporaries, Vernet painted
from nature, spending time in the country and at the seaside observing and
sketching. His palette of blues, grays, greens, and ochres approximated
the actual color of the sea, the sky, and the surrounding foliage. You only
need to compare the naturalistic tonality of a Vernet landscape to one by
his contemporary François Boucher to see the difference.
 
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