Georges Michel was an atypical artist who remains relatively unknown nowadays. Educated through his observation of 17th-century Northern European landscapes, in particular those of Jacob van Ruisdael, which he copied for merchants and collectors, he adopted the importance they gave to natural scenes, realistic and commonplace. The countryside around Paris provided the setting for most of his work, although it has never been possible to identify a precise location. Composed in the studio, the views the artist portrays are not intended as faithful representations, but only keep the general impression of the landscape. Among the recurring features in these compositions, windmills are one of Georges Michel’s distinguishing traits. His skies are cloudy, often with the threat of rain or storm. A more unusual feature is the rainbow which appears here at the centre of the painting. The artist clearly paid close attention to meteorological phenomena, as did John Constable, working in England at the same time. Although there is no record of a trip across the Channel, it is tempting to draw parallels between the two artists, particularly as they both have the same rugged, bold pictorial approach to nature.

As is the case for all of this artist's work, a lack of clearly identifiable features makes it difficult to date the painting. Given the skill with which the sky is rendered and the freedom and fluidity of the technique, this piece could be attributed between 1820 and 1830, without any certainty though.