The dark and smokey palette of Grez-sur-Loing reflects the influence of the French Barbizon School on Winkworth Allan Gay's painting style. It seems reasonable to assume that he painted the work either during his first trip to Europe from 1847 to 1851, when he ended up in Paris working with Constant Troyon.
Most notable for a style that married Barbizon with the Hudson River School, Gay enjoyed artistic acclaim and success during his lifetime. His masterful use of color, seen here in the rich green palette complimented by pinks and grays, enabled him to capture the beauty of the scene while infusing it with a sense of quiet mystery. Clearly, Gay had an intimate understanding of natural light and great skill in communicating its essence to his viewer.
Gay was a native of Massachusetts. He is known to have studied with Robert Weir in West Point, New York in 1838, and was painting in the Boston area in the early 1840s. He was one of the first artists to study in Paris, leaving for Europe in 1847. After returning to America and enjoying a fair amount of success, Gay joined the West Campton artist's colony in New Hampshire in the late 1850s. He had been painting the While Mountains there for almost a decade. However, it was not long before Gay embarked on another journey. This time his travels took him as far as Egypt and Japan. He financed his trip by selling paintings along the way. By 1881 he was back in Boston, where he remained until his death in 1910.
Gay's paintings are part of such esteemed collections as the Boston Atheneaum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Hingham (Massachusetts) Historical Society, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
