Development from the Barbizon School to the Impressionist Movement

The Barbizon school, so called because its painters mainly resided in the village of Barbizon, led the way towards the Impressionist movement in France. Camile Corot, Theodore Rousseau, Jean-Francois Millet and others made artworks that combined landscape with historical events. It was called the paysage historique, a new genre that the academy recognized as a high level of art in the early 1900s. It elevated the status of landscape paintings, so that paintings created from the Barbizon school painters would be accepted by the Saloon. The artists would travel to the Forest of Fontainebleau and the pains of the Barbizon to create en plein air (in open air) sketches. Landscape paintings were becoming more popular as John Arrowsmith (an English man) brought over many landscapes done by John Constable. Many French galleries bought these in the 1830s, which majorly popularized landscape paintings in Europe. Corot later in the 1850s and 1860s, many decades after showing his work in the Saloon, became the most recognized landscape painter in France. 

One major shift in this period of France was the rise of Romanticism, which emphasized the sublime and emotional depictions in art. In Corot's later works, he would paint memories of places he visited. He called these Souvenir paintings (souvenir means "remembrance"). These paintings created an impression of his time spent there, creating a sense of the passing of time. This idea of an idea of a place, the emotions one feels at a certain location is highly valued in the art of the Impressionists. Boudin, a forerunner and teacher of well-known Impressionist artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, started doing paintings en plein air. He would start and finish them in the same session outside, typically doing paintings of people vacationing at the beach. He focused more on elements like light, texture and atmosphere rather than the art styles of classical artists.

John Constable, Hampstead Heath, with Bathing Pond, Branch Hill, 1821–1822, Oil on canvas, 9 5/8×15 3/8 in. (24.4×39.1 cm), Yale Center for British Art, New Haven.

He greatly inspired the Romantic movement in terms of landscape paintings in Italy and France. In the 1820s, John Arrowhead brough over works by Constable that many galleries in Paris bough after 1830. This work looks similar to works of early Impressionists because of the visible brushstrokes, which are often found in Impressionist paintings. The small scale points to its en plein air creation, another big influence. This landscape is not idealized or perfect but an idea of what the artist actually saw.

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Hagar in the Wilderness, 1835, Oil on canvas, 71×106 1/2 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Corot's Hagar in the Wilderness depicts the Biblical narrative of Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness before the angel of God comes to save them. The landscape takes over most of the large painting, which becomes a cohesive scenery that creates a foreboding tone to the whole scene. The contrast between the harsh rocks and trees, and also the yellow of the dry desert gives the viewer a visceral experience of the wilderness. Through Corot's studies of the trees of Fontainebleau, he can create believable scenery. Even the complimentary colors he uses between the sky and land creates a visual narrative that the viewer can appreciate for its romantic feel. The desolation of Hagar but a new dawn and the hope of safety in the angel.

Théodore Rousseau, The Pond (also titled The Pond (La Mare)), 1855, Oil on wood, 13 1/2×20 3/8 in. (34.3×51.8 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Rousseau trained under Remond, who was a landscape painter in the historical tradition. He was heavily influenced by Constable's work, although his work was constantly rejected from the Saloon for years until he boycotted it. Baudelaire, a critique of historical landscape, highly praises Rousseau for implanting a Romanticist-like feel to the work. He captures the dark and moody feel of the pond and the clouds above, which completely engulf the figures shown in the middle.

Théodore Rousseau, The Pond (also titled The Pond (La Mare)), 1855, Oil on wood, 13 1/2×20 3/8 in. (34.3×51.8 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Corot painted this in memory of the park at Mortefontaine. His collection of Souvenir paintings were remembrances/memories of places rather than the actual place. They represented a poetic interpretation of the experience of being there. Many of his works include a lake, solitude and a sense of time passing. He wanted to create a lasting impression of a place that would transcend the passing of time, but convey a memory that one could latch onto. It is heavily influenced by Romanticism, creating a foreboding memory of a place that he has not visited in 30 years.

Jean-François Millet, Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys, 1872–73, Oil on canvas, 31 7/8×39 in. (81×99.1 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Millet, a member of the Barbizon school, painted this scene depicting real life of the commoner. Millet focuses on depictions of rural life and labor, which has a dense and heavy earthy quality to it. The scene is based off of a real landscape, with the figure posing a haunting reality of the seasons and the change in the soil. It has a variety of brush strokes and textures, emphasizing the effort of cultivating the land.

Eugène Boudin, On the Beach, Sunset, 1865, Oil on canvas, 12(⅛) x 17(⅛)in. (30.8 x 43.5cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Boudin, a forerunner of Impressionism, focused heavily on vacationers at the beaches of the Normandy coast. He was good with atmospheric effects, able to quickly represent the sky and light. The forms are not given much detail (no faces) but the details are in the feel of the scenes as a whole. The looser brush work emphasizes the quickness of the moment, a sunset is fleeting in reality. Monet was heavily influenced by Boudin's work, especially his use of light and atmosphere.

Claude Monet, La Grenouillère, 1869, Oil on canvas, 29 3/8×39 1/4 in. (74.6×99.7 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Monet is probably the most famous Impressionist artist of France. His works are extremely well known and distinguished. He captures the reflections of light in the water, as well as the impressions of people and trees in the background. He paints en plein air, often depicting people enjoying the new French middle class life. His works are a visual sensation, representing fleeting moments with beautiful, fast brush strokes.

References

Amory, D. (2007). The Barbizon school: French painters of nature. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bfpn/hd_bfpn.htm

Greenberg, S. (2004). Reforming paysage historique: Corot and the generation of 1830. Art History, 27(3), 412–430.

Haas, K. (2002). Impressions of light: The French landscape from Corot to Monet. Art and Architecture, 5(1), 1–25.

Samu, M. (2004). Impressionism: Art and modernity. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm