Théodore Rousseau

Born April 15th, 1812 in Paris. Died December 22nd, 1867 in Barbizon.

At the age of 8, Rousseau began to paint outside, directly from nature. Although his teachers insisted on the Neoclassical tradition, Rousseau based his extensive studies on 17th-century Dutch landscape painters. Rousseau’s early landscape paintings depict nature as wild and undisciplined force, which gained the appreciation of many of France’s popular painters and writers at the time.

Théodore Rousseau moved to Barbizon in 1847 and lived in a modest farmer’s house, where he also set up his studio. He lived and worked in Barbizon until he died there in 1867. Rousseau left Barbizon only on few rare occasions. He described himself as a, “man of the forests” and could not bring himself to stay away for long from his field of study, which was landscapes. His direct observation of nature made him an important figure in the development of French landscape painting.

After the Revolution of 1848 Rousseau received official recognition as a major figure in French landscape painting by the Salon. To the Salon, Rousseau’s works represented an idea against the calm, with idealized landscapes of Neoclassicism. However, his short, but massively textured brushstrokes is was helped create the idea of impressionism, and he himself emphasized that the landscape is a subject in itself, and that he did not impose mythological or historical narratives into it.

"Paysage"

Théodore Rousseau

“Silence is golden. When I am at my observation post I dare not move, for silence enables me to penetrate to the heart of discoveries. Then the forest families begin to stir. It was silence that enabled me, standing as still as a tree-trunk, to watch the stag cleaning himself... The man who lives in silence becomes the center of the world.” -Théodore Rousseau

His art had powerful influence on the Impressionist style of painting, which was practiced by artists like Claude Monet, Frédéric Bazille and Alfred Sisley. They were intrigued in the way he allowed nature to speak for itself.

In 1867 Rousseau became paralyzed and eventually died in the presence of his lifelong friend, Jean-François Millet. Millet, the peasant painter, along with Rousseau were the foundation of the Barbizon school and had become very close friends. At Rousseau's death, Millet assumed charge of Rousseau’s wife who had become almost hopelessly insane from anxiety.

"Une Mare"

Gustave Greux after Théodore Rousseau

"Une Mare--Forêt de Fontainebleau"

Théophile-Narcisse Chauvel after Théodore Rousseau