Théodore T’Scharner (1826–1906)
Paysage avec étang (Landscape with Pond), n.d.

Oil on canvas
McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Gift of Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust

Jeffery Howe
Professor Emeritus, Art History

T’Scharner’s primary interest here is the light effect of the sun bursting through the clouds, and its reflection in the surface of the pond below. Sketchy and spontaneous, it was probably painted outdoors (en plein air in French). The Belgian landscape may be flat, but the natural phenomena of clouds and sun create their own drama.