The Barbizon School of Painting is a group of French landscape painters. The school got its name in honor of the small village of Barbizon in northern France, in Fontainebleau. In this place lived such well-known Barbizon artists as Millet, Rousseau and many other representatives of this movement. In their work they relied on the Dutch tradition of painting, which was proclaimed by Jacob van Reisdal, Jan van Goyen, Meinert Hobbema and many others.
The Barbizon school of landscape was also based on the style of French landscape painters such as Claude Lorren and Nicola Poussin. Among other things, the work of the Barbizonians was greatly influenced by their contemporaries who were not part of the group - Delacroix, Corot, Courbet.
Landscape art
A genre of art is called a landscape, where the main subject of the image is nature, whether it is untouched and pristine or to one degree or another transformed by the hand of man. Particular importance is given to the perspective and composition, as well as the correct transmission of the atmosphere, light and air, its variability. In the paintings of the Barbizonians, village landscapes often flashed - the artists sought to capture the beauty that surrounds them.
Landscapes are considered a fairly young genre of painting. For many centuries, nature and the environment were depicted in addition to the characters in the paintings. Rather, nature was used as decoration, whether it was icon painting or scenes of genre plots.
Later, with the development of scientific progress, as well as the accumulation of knowledge about the future, the rules of composition and color, natural species became a full-fledged participant in the overall composition of the picture. Over time, nature became the central object of the image, which resulted in a separate genre.
History
For a long time, paintings by landscape painters were generalized, idealized images. A big jerk in the artist's awareness of the significance of landscapes was the image of a certain specific area. So the art of landscape has moved away from imaginary, idealized forms and has become more understandable and pleasing to the eye. The public began to trust more species that were familiar to them or reminded them of something that they saw in real life.
As a pictorial genre, landscape has made itself known in the field of European art, despite the fact that the traditions of landscape drawing have long existed in the East, which had a deep and integral philosophy expressing the attitude of the inhabitants of ancient China, Japan and other eastern countries not only to nature, but also to life and death. However, oriental landscape art over time has had a significant impact on European artistic traditions.
The paintings of French artists and other Europeans of the XVII-XVIII centuries are an example of aesthetic ideas about the landscape. The works of the impressionists and post-impressionists became the culmination of the development of this genre.
The heyday of landscape creativity was the appearance of an open-air landscape, which is associated with the creation of tube colors. Oil paintings of landscapes, which were easy to use and could be taken with you, took this genre to a new level. After all, this innovation allowed the painter to leave his art studio and work in the open air, under natural lighting. This greatly enriched the motifs of landscape works, and also brought art closer to the ordinary spectator: rural landscapes became more real and understandable to the general public.
The first works in the pre-Barbizon spirit were demonstrated at the Paris Salon in 1831, literally immediately after the 1830 revolution. Particular attention was attracted to a picture of Delacroix entitled "Freedom on the barricades." Two years later, Rousseau exhibited his painting “The Environs of Granville”, which was highly praised by Dupree. From that moment on, their friendship ensued, which laid the foundation for the formation of the school.
Features of landscapes
Under the dominance of academism, landscapes were classified as a “secondary genre,” but with the advent of the Impressionists this trend gained its authority. When looking at the best pictures of landscapes with oil or any other material, one can almost physically feel one’s presence in the medium of the picture, almost smell the written sea, a breath of breeze, hear the forest silence or the noise of foliage. This is true art.
The paintings of landscape painters depict an open space that includes the earth or water surface. Also on the canvas may be various buildings or equipment, vegetation, meteorological or astronomical phenomena.
Sometimes a landscape painter can include figurative images - people or animals. But usually they are portrayed as fleeting situations, being an addition to the image of nature, and not its main part. In the landscape composition they play the role of staffing rather than the main characters.
In accordance with the motive, the following types of landscapes can be distinguished:
- rustic or rural;
- urban (including industrial and Veduta);
- seascape or marina.
In this case, landscapes can be camera or panoramic. In addition, landscape works vary in character:
- lyrical;
- historical;
- romantic;
- heroic;
- epic;
- fantastic;
- abstract.
Representatives
The French village of Barbizon, which is located near the royal residence of Fonteblo, has been beckoning landscape beauties for many centuries. Nature in this place has preserved its unspoiled beauty, dense forests and soothing silence. This place became an ideal cradle for the Barbizon school of painting, which included such famous artists as T. Russo, J. Dupree, D. de la Peña, F. Millet. In those days it was easy to meet them on the paths of local forests and villages with an easel or notepad. They were one of the first who resorted to plein air sketches in their work.
Also in Barbizon were G. Courbier, young C. Troyon, Chantrail, S. Dobigny, as well as the famous sculptor A. Bari. In addition, nearby, in places called Shayy and Marlott, such craftsmen as K. Monet, P. Cezanne, Sisley, J. Sera worked. Artists rented housing here and freely worked - so many genuine masterpieces were written in Barbizon.
Barbizonians in nature saw not only an aesthetic, but also a moral beginning. They believed that she ennobles a person, as opposed to a corrupting city. Many of them called Paris New Babylon.
But in the views of the Barbizonians there are also contradictions: although they strove for an honest depiction of nature, they denied realism as an artistic direction, considering it too clumsy and prosaic. Also, they did not recognize the acute social or, especially, political orientation in art.
However, this contradiction is easily explained if we realize that the Barbizonians paid attention not so much to the appearance of objects as to their essence, and that is why they deliberately “blurred” the boundaries of real objects, denying realism and turning the viewer's eyes deeper into meaning
Value
The beginning of the XIX century was the time of the struggle of romanticism and classicism in French art. Academics recognized the landscape as the backdrop against which the plot action unfolds with the participation of mythical characters. The romantics created slightly embellished landscapes.
When the Barbizonians entered the arena, they brought new meaning to landscape art: depicting a realistic nature, they resorted to the motives of their homeland with ordinary subjects, with the participation of ordinary people engaged in their daily work. Representatives of the Barbizon School of Painting created a special, national realistic landscape. This was a huge step in the development of not only French pictorial art, but also other European schools that got on the rails of 19th-century realism.
The significance of the Barbizonians is to create a realistic landscape and prepare the creative soil for the birth of impressionism. A characteristic technique of the representatives of this school was the creation of a quick etude in the open air with the subsequent completion of work in the workshop - this technique was anticipated by the approaching impressionism.
Reysdal
Jacob Isaacs van Reisdal is one of the most significant Dutch landscape painters. Unlike many artists of the XVII century, he especially subtly felt the atmosphere and mood of the landscape and actively singled out the role of landscape detail. Although Dutch painting was flourishing in this area during this century, Reisdal’s works did not drown in this diversity due to the special expression, color and variety of subjects of his works. The work of this artist had a great influence on many generations of European landscape painters, including representatives of the Barbizon school of painting.
With the move of the creator to Amsterdam, his work acquired a new quality: his manner became more magnificent and rich. It was then that for the first time under his brush the light became famous Reysdalovsky sky, covered with clouds. This detail subsequently became a real calling card of the artist.
But the sky did not attract all the attention: Jacob van Reisdahl with particular meticulousness depicted all the details of visible reality and his observations. Many of his paintings are even distinguished by detailed topographical accuracy, but sometimes he turned to his imagination. For example, this applies to his landscapes with waterfalls: Reisdahl never visited the places where you could meet waterfalls, but he painted them based on paintings by Alart van Everdingen, who visited Norway and Sweden.
So Jacob van Reisdal painted his Scandinavian landscapes, while never being in those parts - he created his work, drawing on the work of artists known to him. Interestingly, this series of his gave rise to a huge number of imitators who tried to imitate the manner of Reysdal, who himself had never been to Scandinavia.
But the forest landscapes of Reysdal became the most famous - it is precisely from them that its influence on the Barbizon school becomes apparent. However, he influenced the English authors much more strongly - this is especially noticeable in the works of Gainsborough and Constable.
Russo
The main inspiration of the school was Pierre-Etienne-Theodore Russo born in 1812. For the first time he arrived in Fontainebleau in 1828-1829 and immediately set about writing sketches. After Rousseau went to Normandy, where he wrote his first masterpieces, including "Market in Normandy." Five years he wandered around France, including staying for a while in Barbizon and Vendee, where he created the “Chestnut Alley”. Theodore Russo climbed even to the most distant places that did not attract other artists - so he wrote, for example, “Swamp in the Lands”.
On the eve of the revolution, he settled with his friend critic Torah in Barbizna in a peasant house - where he wrote his main works. Gradually in their house began to gather a circle of friends, the same artists. Over the next few years, he created his famous paintings, such as “Exit from the Fontainebleau Forest. Sunset ”,“ Oaks in Apremont ”,“ Descent of cows from the high mountain pastures of Jura ”. Although Rousseau did not accept the Paris Salon for thirteen years, the 1855 World Exhibition gave him success and respect.
Dupree
The closest creatively to Rousseau was Jules Dupre, who was only a year older than him. Jules' work was influenced by a trip to the UK and an acquaintance with Costebel’s work, as well as close contact with Kaba. In it, realistic moods intensified, as a result of which Dupree stopped taking to the Paris Salon.
With Rousseau, they worked not only in the Barbizon village, but also in various parts of France, while managing to maintain their creative identities. In 1849, Dupre received the Order of the Legion of Honor, which was the reason for a quarrel with Rousseau - he did not receive the order. This put an end to collaboration. Subsequent years, Dupree created his most famous masterpieces: "Village Landscape", "Old Oak", "Evening", "Landes", "Oaks at the Pond." Until 1867, he sent his dense to the Salon. And since 1868, Jules Dupree began to get out in Caye-sir-Mer, where he wrote his marinas, such as "Low tide in Normandy."
De la peña
Narsis Virgilio Diaz de la Peña did not immediately come to a realistic landscape. His friendship with Rousseau fell on the second half of his life. At first he was fond of romanticism - Correggi was the favorite artist de la Peña. His works looked festive and bright. Gathering laurels at the Paris Salon, from 1844 Diaz soon began working with Rousseau.
In the Fontainebleau forest, his style has changed. Then he created his landscapes “Forest Road”, “Hill in Jean-de-Paris”, “Landscape with a Pine”, “Road through the Forest”, “Autumn in Fontainebleau”, “Forest Edge”, “Old Mill near Barbizon”. Despite the fact that Diaz de la Peña is mentioned less frequently, he was also part of a group of Barbizon landscape painters.
Millet
Unlike other Barbizonians, Jean-Francois Millet was born in a rural environment, was the son of a simple peasant. At the beginning of his career, he was fond of Poussin and Michelangelo, and, in addition to landscapes, painted in other genres. A significant influence on the formation of the artist had Charles-Emile Jacques.
Millet created his first picture with a “peasant” plot in 1848. A year later, he moved with Jacques to Barbizon, where he made friends with Rousseau and became a member of the Barbizon group and resident of the village in which he lived until the end of his life. There, Millet painted his paintings with peasants engaged in simple labor: “The Sower”, “Gatherers of Ears”, “Gatherers of Brushwood”, “Man with a Hoe” and many others. Especially interesting are the latest paintings of the creator - "Buckwheat Harvesting", "Spring", "Ricks: Autumn." Millet is a typical representative of the Barbizon School of Landscape.
Daubigny
The work of Charles-Francois Daubigny began with a trip to Italy, where he began to write story works. Exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1840, "St. Jerome ”gained a resounding success, after which he began to illustrate the books of various French writers: Balzac, Paul de Coca, Victor Hugo, Jugen Syu and others.
He only came to the landscape of Daubigny in the late 1940s when he met Corot and became friends with him. Unlike other representatives of the school, the artist paid great attention to light in his works, which makes him similar to the impressionists. So he created his paintings “Harvest”, “Big Valley of Optevo”, “Dam in the Valley of Optevo”.
By the end of the 50s, he realized his long-standing dream and built a workshop boat, on which he later traveled along the rivers of France. This trip gave birth to many famous paintings: “The Sandy Coast at Villeville”, “The Seashore at Villeville”, “The Banks of the Luen River”, “Morning”, “The Village on the Oise of Oise”.
Other Barbizonians
It is also worth noting other important artists who are ranked as a group of Barbizonians.
Constant Troyon was friends with Dupre and Rousseau, and for some time he worked with them. But after a trip to Holland, he became interested in the work of Potter and switched from landscape to animal images. Among his famous paintings - “Bulls go on arable land. Morning ”,“ Departure to the market ”.
In addition, Nicola-Louis Caba, Auguste Anastazi, Eugene Siseri, Henri Arpini, Francois Frances, Leon-Victor Dupre, Isidore Danyan and many others belonged to the circle of Barbizonians. However, art critics are inclined to believe that it is impossible to clearly limit the circle of Barbizonians. As for the followers, numerous students of the school were never able to surpass their teachers. Their paintings are in small towns in France and are almost unknown.
Barbizonians and Russia
In Russia, the work of the Barbizonians is highly respected and respected. A rather large number of paintings by the Barbizonians was in the private collection of Count N. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko, later they were transferred to the Hermitage. Also, many of the works of representatives of the Barbizon school were in the collection of the famous writer I. S. Turgenev: the works of Rousseau, two landscapes of Daubigny and two canvases of Diaz, “Huts” by Dupree and many others.
The work of the Barbizonians had a considerable influence on the Russian artists F. Vasiliev, Levitan, Savrasov. VV Stasov in his work “Art of the 19th Century” praised the representatives of the school for the fact that they did not “compose” landscapes, but created from nature. In his opinion, they conveyed the true beauty of nature, putting their personal emotional experiences into the paint.
Thus, the Barbizonians not only became a certain step in the development of pictorial art, but also largely determined the development of landscape painting in the future. Their work is still highly regarded among art critics and ordinary viewers.