Adolphe APPIAN (1818 - 1898) - The little train

Signed lower left. With frame. Oil on canvas.

Adolphe Appian depicts here, in “The Little Train,” a rural landscape bisected by a railway convoy. The horizon, framed by brownish hills, melts into a stormy sky heavy with low clouds. In the foreground, a marshy plain reflects the diffuse light, creating subtle touches of green-gray and pale ochre that evoke a gentle mist. On the left, a leafless tree stretches its branches like a skeletal silhouette, while on the right a denser thicket underscores nature’s vitality. At the center, the locomotive and its carriages—rendered almost miniature—glide silently along tracks that seem to teeter between technological progress and pastoral poetry. Appian’s use of fine, blended brushstrokes betrays the influence of naturalism alongside his romantic sensibility. This work interrogates the coexistence of emerging industrialization and bucolic tranquility, suggesting that modernity, rather than marring the landscape, can integrate into it with grace, subtlety, and harmony.

Adolphe Appian studied under François Grobon and Augustin Thierriat at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon before making his debut at the Paris Salon in 1835. He later exhibited in Lyon in 1847 and Paris in 1855, becoming a regular at both Salons. In 1868, he earned a gold medal at the Paris Salon. His career was further distinguished by international accolades, including an honorable mention at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, following his participation in the 1862 London Exhibition. In 1892, he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

One of his major works is Rives de l’Ain, a large decorative panel created for the staircase of the Rhône Prefecture in Lyon. Initially a musician, Appian decided to fully dedicate himself to the visual arts in 1852, a pivotal year marked by his encounter with Corot and Daubigny, who had a profound influence on his work. He also spent significant time in Fontainebleau, painting alongside artists of the Barbizon School.

Appian was a master of charcoal drawing, with a particular fondness for backlit scenes and the subtle interplay of light and shadow. Upon discovering the Mediterranean light, his palette brightened, his colors became fresher, and his technique evolved toward a more fluid touch, reflecting the influence of his friend Félix Ziem.