Le lac de Nemi ("Lake Nemi") by Jean-Victor Bertin

Following in the footsteps of his master Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes, Jean-Victor Bertin's landscapes reflected an academic taste, and earned him the favor of the Salon, where he was awarded an "encouragement" prize in 1799, followed by a gold medal in 1808. Between 1811 and 1817, he was commissioned to decorate prestigious sites such as the Pavillon de Trianon and the Château de Fontainebleau, and was regularly commissioned by prominent art lovers such as the Duc de Berry Charles-Ferdinand d'Artois.

Bertin painted many landscapes in the classical tradition, with smooth brushwork and clear compositions, in reference to the works of Nicolas Poussin. Nature is controlled and structured, with the different planes evenly spaced. The verticality of the trees that often frame the views contributes to the order of the landscape. A few architectural elements are occasional reminders of ancient influences and mythological themes. From his master, the painter Pierre-Henri Valenciennes, he learned the lesson of atmospheric perspective, characterized by softening contours and progressive color gradation to give the illusion of depth. From his 17^th-century predecessors Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, he borrows the golden light and rose-tinted skies of Italy.

Bertin's compositions are often found in multiple copies, a sign of their success. In his workshop, where many students were trained, the number of productions multiplied. This explains the large number of high-quality works not signed by Bertin, but attributed to him or his workshop. Little-known today, Bertin was the master of Camille Corot (1796-1875), a major landscape painter of the 19^th century.  

Suzanne Gutwirth, « Jean-Victor Bertin (1767-1842). Un paysagiste néoclassique, » thèse de l’École de Louvre, Paris, École du Louvre, 1969.

Suzanne Gutwirth, « Jean-Victor Bertin, un paysagiste néoclassique (1767-1842) », Gazette des beaux-arts, n^o LXXXIII, mai-juin 1974, p. 337-35.