Barbizon School

The Barbizon school movement was an association of French landscape painters active from the 1840’s to the 1870’s. The painters resided in the village of Barbizon and believed in painting directly from what they saw in nature. Theodore Rousseau, one of the leaders of the movement, rejected the classical style of landscape painting and believed in a more direct study of landscapes. Other leaders of the group were artists Georges Michel, Jean-Francois Miller, and Corot. The Barbizon school was considered part of the French Realism movement inspired by the painter Constable who promoted a true rendition of nature while painting a landscape. The Barbizon school rejected conventional ways of landscape painting and desired a more accurate representation of what they saw in nature. One of the major themes in this movement was the working class – many works depict the daily lives of woodsmen, poachers, grave diggers, and farmers. Hard work was a popular subject for the movement’s members. The Barbizon school influenced the development of seventeenth century Dutch landscape artists including Hobbema, Cuyp, and Ruisdael. The Barbizon movement also contributed to the Impressionist movement and became more popular in the late 19th century.

Barbizon scool artists:
Millet, Jean-Francois - 1814 - 1875
Rousseau, Theodore - 1812 - 1867
Spitzweg, Carl - 1808 - 1885
Corot, Jean-Baptiste-Camille - 1796 - 1875
Daubigny, Charles-Francois - 1817 - 1878
Diaz de la Pena, Narcisse-Virgile - 1807 - 1876
Harpignies, Henri-Joseph - 1819 - 1916
Troyon, Constant - 1810 - 1865