Charles-François Daubigny
Encyclopedia
Charles-François Daubigny (15 February 1817 – 19 February 1878) was one of the painter
s of the Barbizon school
, and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism
.
Daubigny was born in Paris
, into a family of painters and was taught the art by his father Edmond François Daubigny and his uncle, miniaturist Pierre Daubigny.
Initially Daubigny painted in a traditional style, but this changed after 1843 when he settled in Barbizon
to work outside in nature. Even more important was his meeting with Camille Corot in 1852 in Optevoz (Isère). On his famous boat Botin, which he had turned into a studio, he painted along the Seine
and Oise
, often in the region around Auvers
. From 1852 onward he came under the influence of Gustave Courbet
.
In 1866 Daubigny visited England, eventually returning because of the Franco-Prussian war
in 1870. In London
he met Claude Monet
, and together they left for the Netherlands
. Back in Auvers, he met Paul Cézanne
, another important Impressionist. It is assumed that these younger painters were influenced by Daubigny.
Daubigny's finest pictures were painted between 1864 and 1874, and these for the most part consist of carefully completed landscapes with trees, river and a few ducks. It has been said that when Daubigny liked his pictures he added another duck or two, so that the number of ducks often indicates greater or less artistic quality in his pictures. One of his sayings was, "The best pictures do not sell", as he frequently found his finest achievements little understood. Daubigny is chiefly preferred for his riverside pictures, of which he painted a great number, but although there are two large landscapes by Daubigny in the Louvre, neither is a river view. They are for that reason not so typical as many of his smaller Oise and Seine pictures.
His most ambitious canvases are Springtime (1857), in the Louvre; Borde de la Cure, Morvan (1864); Villerville sur Mer (1864); Moonlight (1865); Auvers-sur-Oise (1868); and Return of the Flock (1878). He was named by the French government as an Officer of the Legion of Honor.
Daubigny died in Paris. His followers and pupils included his son Karl (who sometimes painted so well that his works are occasionally mistaken for those of his father), Oudinot, Delpy
, Albert Charpin
and Pierre Emmanuel Damoye
.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s of the Barbizon school
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
, and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
.
Daubigny was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, into a family of painters and was taught the art by his father Edmond François Daubigny and his uncle, miniaturist Pierre Daubigny.
Initially Daubigny painted in a traditional style, but this changed after 1843 when he settled in Barbizon
Barbizon
Barbizon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. It is located near the Fontainebleau Forest.-Art history:The Barbizon school of painters is named after the village; Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet, leaders of the school, made their homes and died in the...
to work outside in nature. Even more important was his meeting with Camille Corot in 1852 in Optevoz (Isère). On his famous boat Botin, which he had turned into a studio, he painted along the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
and Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, often in the region around Auvers
Auvers
Auvers may refer to the following communes in France:* Auvers, Haute-Loire* Auvers, Manche* Auvers-le-Hamon, in the Sarthe département* Auvers-Saint-Georges, in the Essonne département* Auvers-sous-Montfaucon, in the Sarthe département...
. From 1852 onward he came under the influence of Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet was a French painter who led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. The Realist movement bridged the Romantic movement , with the Barbizon School and the Impressionists...
.
In 1866 Daubigny visited England, eventually returning because of the Franco-Prussian war
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
in 1870. In London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
he met Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, and together they left for the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Back in Auvers, he met Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
, another important Impressionist. It is assumed that these younger painters were influenced by Daubigny.
Daubigny's finest pictures were painted between 1864 and 1874, and these for the most part consist of carefully completed landscapes with trees, river and a few ducks. It has been said that when Daubigny liked his pictures he added another duck or two, so that the number of ducks often indicates greater or less artistic quality in his pictures. One of his sayings was, "The best pictures do not sell", as he frequently found his finest achievements little understood. Daubigny is chiefly preferred for his riverside pictures, of which he painted a great number, but although there are two large landscapes by Daubigny in the Louvre, neither is a river view. They are for that reason not so typical as many of his smaller Oise and Seine pictures.
His most ambitious canvases are Springtime (1857), in the Louvre; Borde de la Cure, Morvan (1864); Villerville sur Mer (1864); Moonlight (1865); Auvers-sur-Oise (1868); and Return of the Flock (1878). He was named by the French government as an Officer of the Legion of Honor.
Daubigny died in Paris. His followers and pupils included his son Karl (who sometimes painted so well that his works are occasionally mistaken for those of his father), Oudinot, Delpy
Hippolyte Camille Delpy
Hippolyte Camille Delpy - was a painter.Delpy came from a moderately wealthy family from Joigny, in the Burgundy region of France. He was a student of Charles Francois Daubigny....
, Albert Charpin
Albert Charpin
Albert Charpin, born in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes in 1842, died in Asnières-sur-Seine in 1924. He was a naturalist painter. He painted real objects in a natural setting. Albert Charpin, born in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes in 1842, died in Asnières-sur-Seine in 1924. He was a naturalist painter. He...
and Pierre Emmanuel Damoye
Pierre Emmanuel Damoye
Pierre Emmanuel Damoye was French artist born in Paris on February 20, 1847. He studied his craft at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and went on to become a renown and influential landscape artist noted for his sweeping skies, tree studded-plains, and vibrant farmlands...
.
External links
- Charles-François Daubigny - Rehs Galleries' biography on the artist.
- Banks of the Seine 1855, near Bezons, near Paris