October: Pasture at Dusk

One defining feature of landscape painter Antonio Fontanesi’s style was a focus on the natural environment and people living within it, a subject he adopted from the Barbizon school active in 19th-century France. This theme was passed on to Japanese painters such as Asai Chu. Another notable aspect of Fontanesi’s work was his concern with light. Around the time he produced this work, Fontanesi was inspired by François-Auguste Ravier, a painter of the Lyon school. With reddish-brown as a base tone, he depicted a peasant woman praying at twilight, heightening the solemn mood by backlighting the scene and placing the woman in shadow. Fontanesi came to Japan in August 1876 to teach Western-style painting, and was a mentor to artists including Asai. However, due to deteriorating health, he returned to his homeland in September 1878. (N.R.)