Two Trees Before Bridge

During a trip to Europe in 1910, Dawson began to study the structural characteristics of museum masterpieces. By isolating the particular forms and arrangements that interested him, he reinvented them in new compositions. The structure of this painting is strikingly similar to Jean-Baptiste Corot's Bridge at Mantes (1868–1870), at the Louvre Museum. The architecture of the bridge, subtle curve of the trees, and even the small shape of a figure in the lower right corner, demonstrate Dawson's close study of Corot's work. Stylistically, however, this painting shares more in common with the work of another influential French painter, Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), with its soft earthy colors and simplified forms.