He was the last of the group of painters educated around Rousseau and Millet in Barbizon. His delicately toned paintings carry the signature of his teacher, Charles Jacque, yet his palette is more colorful.

From 1869 until his death, Ceramano remained in Barbizon, painting after nature and selling his work, often to America, where a great deal of his output found its way to private collectors and museums.

Our painting, Paysage, is a beautiful representation of Ceramano’s oeuvre. It is defined by a rich, warm palette of mossy greens, dark golds, and deep browns. A massive tree, gnarled limbs reaching into the sky, dominates the right foreground. Below, in a small clearing to the left, several goats graze or rest, their herder in the background keeping watch while taking in a moment of repose. A bit of sky to the far left breaks up the composition with white, gray and blue tones, and in the hazy distance one can see the outline of a village. The glowing palette and pastoral subject matter of this painting exude an overall sense of quiet reflection and restfulness. Ceramano is truly at his best here.