The Burning of Sodom (formerly "The Destruction of Sodom")

Art Historical Context

Camille Corot's *The Burning of Sodom (formerly titled *The Destruction of Sodom*), painted in 1843 and reworked in 7, captures the dramatic tale from Genesis where fire and brimstone rain down on the wicked city. This large-scale oil on canvas (363/8 x 71 3/8 inches) depicts fleeing men and women amid towering flames and chaotic skies, evoking a sense of divine judgment and human desperation. Corot, a leading French landscape artist of the Barbizon school, infused this rare figurative work with his signature atmospheric light and subtle tonal harmonies, bridging Romantic drama with the emerging realism of the 19th century. The panoramic format enhances the epic scope, drawing viewers into the inferno's terror while showcasing Corot's masterful handling of oil—layered glazes for smoky depths and luminous highlights on figures. Though best known for poetic landscapes, Corot's biblical scenes like this reflect his early training in Italy and fascination with light effects, predating Impressionism. Acquired through the H.O. Havemeyer Collection and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings department, it highlights 19th-century collectors' taste for grand history painting. This piece invites reflection on morality and catastrophe, blending spiritual narrative with Corot's innovative naturalism for a timeless impact.

About the Artist

Camille Corot · 1796–1875

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, born in Paris on July 16, 1796, into a prosperous bourgeois family—his father a former wig maker turned draper, his mother a successful milliner—initially resisted his artistic calling. After a lackluster education at the Lycée Pierre-Corneille in Rouen and failed apprenticeships in business, he abandoned commerce at age 26, thanks to a generous parental allowance foll...