Had he been French or British, he would probably have been rated as one of the greatest painters of the 1800s.
Corot
If Constable acted as a bridge, Corot was the crossroad leading to ‘modern’ art.
Constable may seem an unlikely revolutionary, but his landscapes and their trees inspired the Barbizon School and Impressionists.
A brief glance through the history of painting trees in the landscape, from Rubens and Poussin to van Gogh and Pissarro.
Study 25 landscapes by 19 artists over 400 years, to examine how they represent the landscape.
No matter how old and jaded you get, you can always appreciate the breath-taking view from the top of a hill, as the earth sweeps out in myriad details, as far as the distant horizon.
We should refer to European and not French Impressionism, although prior to about 1880 the hub of the movement was certainly Paris.
In the absence of any clearly articulated theoretical statements from the core French Impressionists, there are no obvious rules or clear criteria handed down.
He became an unabashed Impressionist during his long training in Europe, and was a great painter by any standards.
He never aspired to be an impressionist, but painted many works plein air, with loose brushwork, and conveying impressions.
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