The Nineteenth Century French Paintings, Volume I: The Barbizon School

The National Gallery houses a notable collection of pictures associated with the Barbizon School, including works by Courbet, Daubigny, Millet and Rousseau and a significant and representative collection of pictures by Corot, ranging from an early oil sketch made during his first trip to Italy in 1825–8 to late studio landscapes. Among the paintings by Corot are two recent acquisitions, the monumental Italian Woman, or Woman with Yellow Sleeve (L’Italienne) from the estate of Lucian Freud, and The Four Times of Day, a group of panels painted around 1858 which were later owned by Frederic, Lord Leighton. 

Catalogue entries examine all aspects of the paintings, from subject to stylistic significance (particularly within the artist’s oeuvre), to condition and conservation history. Two accompanying essays examine the development of landscape painting in France, and trace the passionate collecting of these pictures in the United Kingdom well into the twentieth century. The nineteenth century witnessed the introduction of many new pigments and a gradual development away from traditional painting techniques, particularly among landscape painters. Entries on the paintings are richly informed by new technical research into supports, materials and artists' techniques, information which is further explored in an introductory essay on the methods and materials of the Barbizon group. 

Author

Sarah Herring is Associate Curator of Post-1800 Paintings at the National Gallery, London.