Corot never attended the École des Beaux-Arts or studied art formally, but he did work with two artists who had trained under Valenciennes and were proponents of the classical landscape. Each tree trunk, branch, and stone in this landscape is precisely delineated with a sharp contour. The light is fairly evenly distributed over the surface, and the modeling is subtle. Early in his career, Corot had articulated his concern with tone, and his mature work is characterized by a soft, hazy treatment with blended edges and tranquil, meditative settings. This drawing, however, shows his roots in the classical tradition.

from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)