Théodore Rousseau

Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867), French painter, born in Paris. He was classically trained but preferred to paint outdoors rather than in the studio, in an effort to capture the light and form of the countryside. He became the leader of the Barbizon School of painters, who worked near the village of Barbizon in the forest of Fontainebleau. Although such works as Avenue of Chestnut Trees (circa 1835, Louvre, Paris) were rejected by the salons of the 1830s and '40s, Rousseau later won official recognition for such masterpieces as Outskirts of the Forest of Fontainebleau (circa 1850, Louvre). He is considered a forerunner of impressionism.