In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet

Nearly 120 paintings, pastels, and photographs reveal the pivotal role of the forest of Fontainebleau in the development of 19th-century naturalistic landscape painting and early photography. Fontainebleau first attracted artists in the mid-1820s and soon became the center for the practice of ope... Read more

Nearly 120 paintings, pastels, and photographs reveal the pivotal role of the forest of Fontainebleau in the development of 19th-century naturalistic landscape painting and early photography. Fontainebleau first attracted artists in the mid-1820s and soon became the center for the practice of open-air painting. The location was transformed into an informal artists colony in the early 1830s, which in turn developed the artistic movement known as the “Barbizon School.” By the mid-19th century, Fontainebleau was a pilgrimage site for aspiring young artists who were drawn to the landscape and the presence of so many renowned working landscapists. It also became home to the first nature preserve, serving as a model for national parks throughout Europe and the United States in subsequent years. Early photographers such as Eug√ɬ®ne Cuvelier and Gustave Le Gray created fine art photographs that explored the same motifs as those used by painters. Tracing the evolution of landscape painting, the exhibition spotlights the work of artists Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (who helped introduce open-air painting to France), Th√ɬ®odore Rousseau and Jean-Fran√ɬßois Millet (both members of the Barbizon School), and Claude Monet (whose experience in Fontainebleau inspired impressionism).