In the forest Saint Cloud

French artist Paul Gauguin painted this In the Forest Saint-Cloud in 1873, years before developing the Post-Impressionist style he's famous for. This early oil on canvas is classified as a sketch and study, showing Gauguin working through Impressionist techniques. The forest setting near Paris offered the kind of natural subject matter that appealed to painters of this period.

Gauguin was only 25 when he created this work, still working as a stockbroker while painting in his spare time. He wouldn't abandon finance for art until 1882. These early green forest scenes show an artist absorbing influences before finding his own path. The handling of foliage and light reflects the plein air approach championed by the Impressionists.

Saint-Cloud's forests, like those at Fontainebleau, attracted artists seeking natural landscapes close to the capital. This painting remains in a private collection, a glimpse of Gauguin before Tahiti, before the bold colors and flattened forms that would make him famous.