View of Narni

The View of Narni is an exquisite graphite drawing created by the French master, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875), during his pivotal first sojourn in Italy in 1826. Executed in graphite on ivory laid paper, this piece exemplifies the artist’s dedication to precise observation, a hallmark of his early landscape practice. Corot, who was thirty years old at the time, spent much of 1826 sketching around Rome and the surrounding campagna, seeking sites favored by earlier classical landscape painters. This intensive study of nature served as the fundamental basis for the development of his mature style. The directness of the medium captures the rugged topography near Narni, a subject later used for his breakthrough Salon painting, The Roman Campagna.

The work demonstrates Corot’s early technical mastery in drawing, utilizing delicate line work and varying pressure to render both architectural elements and natural forms. Unlike his later, more atmospheric oil sketches, this graphite piece emphasizes structure and light modulation through subtle shading, defining the deep perspectival space leading toward the distant townscape. This observational approach was typical for 19th-century French artists working abroad who needed portable means to capture studies for later studio development back in France.

The drawing provides critical insight into the foundation of Corot’s celebrated landscape style. As a historic work made public over time, high-quality images and related prints of Corot’s early Italian drawings are highly valued by scholars and collectors. The clarity and observational power displayed in this 1826 drawing confirm why Corot is regarded as one of France’s most influential landscape painters. This significant piece of early draftsmanship is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.