“The Little Windmill at Gennevilliers” is a notable oil on canvas artwork by Berthe Morisot, created in the year 1875. Exemplifying the Impressionist artistic movement, this landscape genre painting captures a serene outdoor scene.
The artwork depicts a bucolic landscape with the central feature being a windmill in the middle distance, its sails slightly blurred, suggesting movement. The foreground shows an expanse of open field dotted with cabbages or similar vegetation, rendered with swift, expressive brushstrokes characteristic of the Impressionist style. A few figures, perhaps farmers, are seen in the middle ground, immersed in their tasks or in transit, connecting the viewer to the daily life of the rural setting. The horizon is broad, hinting at the vast openness of the French countryside, while the sky overhead is filled with soft, shifting clouds, contributing to the overall atmosphere of fleeting moments captured on canvas. The palette is predominantly composed of natural hues—greens, yellows, and browns—that underscore the rural theme of the artwork. Morisot’s use of light and shadow plays across the canvas, adding depth and vibrancy to the scene. The artwork communicates a sense of tranquility, enveloping the viewer in the simple, unadorned beauty of the pastoral landscape and the ordinary life it sustains.
