Parcours des Mosaiques

Historical context

The idea is simple and right: place a reproduction of a painting at the exact spot where it was made, so the visitor can compare what the painter saw with what he did with it. The result is sometimes disorienting -- some landscapes have changed little, and the eye moves naturally between the ceramic and the reality behind it. The circuit begins at the western end of the village, near the Plaine de l'Angelus, and works eastward toward the forest. It follows the daily movement of the painters, who left the Auberge Ganne each morning and walked toward their chosen motifs. Millet's L'Angelus is first -- placed in the field where he stood. Rousseau's oaks are further along. Constable's White Horse appears in the Allee John Constable, a passage that connects the Grande Rue to the Place Marc Jacquet. The mosaics were created from the original paintings. Standing in front of them, you see what the painters saw -- the same light, the same horizon, the same distance between where you stand and where the forest begins. The circuit takes 30 to 45 minutes at a walk. A free audio guide is available from the tourist office.

Historical research: grappilles.fr — Barbizon Histoire et Patrimoine