Washerwomen on the Banks of the Durance

Paul Guigou

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a serene body of water and a rocky coast stretching to the horizon. In the center of the painting, indistinct people gather on a rocky strip near the water wearing clothes in shades of red, blue, and brown. In front of them, closest to us, small tan and brown rocks poke through the still blue water. In the distance on the left are rocky gray mountains and a group of far-away buildings with white walls and red roofs. On the right, the water continues until it reaches a distant shoreline. Fluffy clouds are visible in the wide blue sky above.