Page 25 - Theodore Rousseau: A Magnificent Obsession

The two oaks that dominate Rousseau’s composition in La Ferme - made deceptively mighty in
comparison to the humble structures they shade - are clearly mature trees of some age but in
the background there is a grove of younger trees which could not have been more than forty or
fifty years old when Rousseau began the painting (Fig.9)12. The painting shows a farm complex
known locally as an airial and is faithful in all respects.

Fig. 10 - A plan of an airial

The plan here reproduced (Fig. 10) shows the typical layout of a nineteenth century airial.13
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12 Although Les Landes is generally low lying and sandy, the road from Dax to Mont-de-Marsans, along whichTartas and Begaar
lie, denotes the beginning of the plateau leading up to the Pyrenees. Thus it is better drained and less sandy and suitable for
oaks rather than pine trees.The road delineates the boundary to an area known as Chalosse. In contrast to the expanses of flat,
marshy moorland and industrial forest of the Grande Landes, Chalosse has fertile farmers’ soil. The renowned white,
Chalossais cattle graze here. From the cow’s milk is made the slightly soft and creamy, white Chalossais cheese with its gentle,
acid edge. Other farming products come from the large quantities of poultry and ducks, raised for quality. The ducks are
mostly fattened, preparation for the local delicacies of foie gras and paté made from the foie gras. Chalosse also produces
Landais-type wines. The characteristic landscape of Chalosse comprises undulating hills, meadows, primarily of maize, and
woods with but few pines.The view depicted in La Ferme dans les Landes lies on the edge of this area and Rousseau took care to
denote the geese on the pathway and the cattle in the background.
13 In the Grande Lande, the farm was arranged on an airial, an extensive, unenclosed and grassed area centred on a farmhouse,
scattered with trees. Each airial could be considerably far away from the next, the population density being very low in this
part of the department. Airials in the Grande Lande followed a plan that included, as well as the main farmhouse and other

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