Auguste Bonheur, La Sortie du pturage (The Return from the Pasture), 1861. Oil on canvas.

Auguste Bonheur's La Sortie du pturage (The Return from the Pasture), 1861. i!!en from "u#lic vie$ for over a centur%, Auguste Bonheur's monumental La Sortie du pturage (The Return from the Pasture) recentl% resurface! at auction in &on!on an! is currentl% o$ne! #% the 'alerie (ichael in Beverl% ills, )A. (easuring no less than *+, - ,.6., cm (more than 8 #% 1/ feet), this #ucolic scene $as one of the successes of the 1861 0alon, $here, for once, Auguste $as not oversha!o$e! #% his famous sister Rosa, a "ainter of rural lan!sca"es an! cattle li1e himself. The most im"ortant $or1 #% Auguste Bonheur 1no$n to !ate, La Sortie du pturage is a!mire! for the gran!eur of its conce"tion, the s1illful ren!ering of the animals, an! the #eautiful suggestion of s"ace, light, an! atmos"here. The "ainting gives evi!ence that the artist's re"utation ma% $ell have un2ustl% suffere! from the cele#rit% of his sister, $hich $as cause! at least in "art #% her a#ilit% to overcome the limitations of her gen!er. 3hen 4 $ent on to a visit to &on!on 4 got a chance to vie$ this a$esome art. Though first 4 thought it as usual an! $hen 4 1eenl% o#serve! it, 4 $as im"resse! an! $as move! #% the art. 4n re"resenting animals, the Bonheurs $ere increasing the a$areness for an! "o"ularit% of this theme, $hich $as also #rought into the limelight $ith )onstant Tro%on an! influence! #% seventeenth centur% 5utch "ainters La Sortie du pturage .This "icture "ortra%s the cattle farming of the ancient centur%. Auguste Bonheur6s !e"iction of animals an! lan!sca"e receive! much "ositive reinforcement at the 0alons. A "asture, for instance, allo$s for a certain amount of gra7ing to occur each %ear $ithout the core resource #eing harme!. 4n the case of

e-cessive gra7ing, ho$ever, the "asture ma% #ecome more "rone to erosion an! eventuall% %iel! less #enefit to its users. Because their core resources are vulnera#le, common8"ool resources are generall% su#2ect to the "ro#lems of congestion, overuse, "ollution, an! "otential !estruction unless harvesting or use limits are !evise! an! enforce!. The art$or1 tells us ho$ the ancient "eo"le loo1 after their cattle. 4t affects the content since the art $hich $as ma!e of oil $as not too clear for vision an! !oesn6t give much e-"lanation a#out the "eo"le an! the tra!ition. 3e can sa% that the author $ants to !e"ict the nature an! the art in a !ifferent $a%. e $ants to create a "assion to the "eo"le a#out the animals.