Remembrance of Italy

Remembrance of Italy is a crucial etching created in 1863 by the renowned French landscape painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, working in collaboration with master printer Auguste Delâtre and published by Cadart et Chevalier. This detailed work, classified as a fine art print, demonstrates Corot’s occasional but significant expansion beyond traditional oil painting into the graphic arts. Executed as an etching on light tan laid paper, the delicate, nuanced lines capture a characteristic classical landscape view that fuses observed detail with a Romantic, nostalgic interpretation, a defining trait of Corot’s mature aesthetic.

Although Corot is known primarily for his atmospheric canvases, he produced relatively few prints, making these scarce graphic pieces historically significant insights into his overall creative process and his command of light and shadow in monochrome. The composition specifically evokes the artist's enduring connection to Italy, a country he visited extensively and which profoundly influenced his approach to landscape depiction throughout his career. Unlike his later, often hazier paintings, this 19th-century etching displays a formal precision typical of the era, reflecting the renewed interest in printmaking mediums in France.

The memory of the classical world, embodied in this technical print medium, highlights the mastery of tone and atmospheric depth that Corot achieved even without color. The collaboration with Delâtre ensured the exemplary technical quality of the resulting edition. Preserved as part of the extensive holdings of French prints and drawings, this important example of 19th-century French culture currently resides in the Art Institute of Chicago. As a historical work from this era, Remembrance of Italy is frequently made available through public domain resources, allowing broad study and appreciation of Corot’s unique contribution to the history of prints.