Charles-François Daubigny

Charles-François Daubigny (1817-1878), French painter and etcher, born in Paris. He came from an artistic family, who encouraged his talent. In his youth, he painted clock cases and illustrated books. He traveled throughout Europe, studying old and contemporary masters; he was especially influenced by the English landscape painter John Constable and by the Barbizon school, which emphasized painting directly from nature. Daubigny's landscapes, such as View of the Seine (1852, Museum of Fine Arts, Nantes), exhibit his own close familiarity with nature, particularly in his river and lake scenes. His later work, in a looser style, is a forerunner of impressionism.