The Old Oak

Jules Dupré

National Gallery of Art

The painting depicts a landscape with a field, trees, and a dramatic cloudy sky. Grass, rocks, and a group of large trees are visible in the center of the composition. Below the trees, there is a small shape that could be a person looking up. Farther back, there are some small triangular structures that might be houses. The brushstrokes are expressive and not much detail is visible in the smaller shapes. The grass and foliage are painted in earthy tones of brown, orange, and green, while the sky is blue with areas of thick gray and white clouds.