Souvenir of Italy

Souvenir of Italy is an intimate etching created by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot in 1866. This compelling work reflects Corot’s deep and enduring connection to the Italian landscape, which served as a foundational influence throughout his career, despite being executed upon his return to France. While primarily known for his atmospheric paintings, Corot’s dedication to printmaking yielded important results, placing him within the tradition of 19th-century French artists who explored the etching medium.

As an etching, this print showcases Corot’s refined skill in utilizing fine line work and controlled tonality to capture the hazy, poetic quality typical of his mature style. The classification as a print suggests it was intended for broader circulation, a key aspect of the medium’s role in the 1860s. Corot masterfully employs the acid-biting technique to evoke deep space and the soft light of a treasured memory or a pastoral scene, likely reminiscent of the Roman Campagna or an idealized view populated by small figures.

Though created just two decades before his death, this piece exemplifies Corot’s artistic vision, balancing precise technique with evocative sentiment. The existence of multiple impressions has made Corot’s prints widely accessible to collectors, and today, many of these images are found in the public domain. This particular impression of Souvenir of Italy is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, offering an essential example of the celebrated landscape painter’s proficiency outside of oil painting.