Garden terrace of the hospice Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

In July 1836 Corot went south to Avignon with three younger painters, among them Prosper Marilhat, who made his name with scenes of Egypt and the Near East. They settled across the Rhône at Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, and Marilhat described their days in a letter. Up at four in the morning, work until 11, back to eat like devils, sleep until two, then out again until night. This small upright canvas comes from that month. Corot stood in the garden of the town's hospice, among tall dark trees, and looked past a low terrace wall toward pale houses and a tower in full sun. The paint goes on in broad, flat patches with very little detail. On the same trip his companion painted Villeneuve too, and one of those views, now in the museum at Reims, was long believed to be by Corot.