The artwork titled “Watering place” is an oil on canvas painting created by the artist Paul Gauguin in 1885 in France. This piece is representative of the Impressionist movement and falls within the genre painting category. As of the last known information, the artwork resides within a private collection.
In the painting, one observes a rural scene centered upon a cow which appears to be drinking or about to drink from a body of water, presumably a watering place, as the title suggests. The palette is rich with earthy tones, perhaps indicative of the transition between seasons or the time of day with soft, warm sunlight contributing to the scene’s placid mood. The brushwork is loose and expressive, characteristic of the Impressionist movement’s style, which sought to capture the nuances of natural light and atmosphere rather than precise detail.
There is an evident interplay of light and shadow that casts a dynamic quality across the composition. A rustic building with a vivid red roof occupies the background, providing a sense of human presence without featuring any inhabitants. Vegetation frames the scene, further encapsulating the focal point, the cow, and the tranquility of the countryside setting. The overall composition conveys a moment of serene daily life, untouched by the industrialization that was contemporaneously transforming European landscapes.
