A Flood

Lhermitte, Leon-Augustin 1844 - 1925

Summary

In this 1876 painting, a man, woman and child are escaping in a small rowing boat from the floods that have inundated their farm. Submerged willows and birches separate the family from their home, which is visible in the background. The light is sombre under an overcast sky. Lhermitte was a prolific naturaliste painter, who exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon from 1864 to 1925, and in London from 1872 onwards. He studied in Paris with Lecoq de Boisbaudran from 1863 and remained a lifelong friend of his fellow pupil, Jean-Charles Cazin. Strongly influenced by Millet, L'hermitte emphasised the heroic and noble nature of peasants, but his paintings portray a way of rural life that was swiftly being replaced by mechanisation.