In this landscape a red-hatted woodcutter is busy working on the many branches scattered around him. A small group of figures – presumably other woodcutters – can just be glimpsed between the trees. Beyond the trees a lake reflects the pale blue and white of the cloudy sky. Typical of the works by Corot that were sought out by collectors, this painting is classical in its composition but pre-impressionist in its handling and observation of light. Often grouped with the Barbizon artists, Corot was one of the first artists to work consistently in the Forest of Fontainebleau. Corot's first biographer, Étienne Moreau-Nelaton, wrote in 1905 that, 'Corot never broke with tradition … [he was] always going to nature for his inspiration, [Corot] remained faithful to a point to the formula of his artistic ancestors.