Camille Corot

Plan your visit to see Camille Corot →

• What is Camille Corot known for?+

  Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot is known as a critical figure in French^[2] painting. He was the leading painter of the Barbizon School and travelled widely around France, also visiting Italy from 1825^[2] to 1828, and again in 1834 and 1843.
• What should I know about Camille Corot's prints?+

  Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot^[8] (1796^[2]-1875^[2]) was a French^[2] painter. Progressive artists admired Corot, including Degas; Berthe Morisot and Camille Pissarro listed themselves as his pupils. His impact on Gauguin continued well into Gauguin's Tahitian period. This admiration was based almost entirely on Corot's abilities as a painter, since the numerous figure subjects he did throughout his life were little known until the beginning of this century. Corot only showed two figure subjects during his lifetime: *A Monk* at the Salon of 1840^[2] and *A Woman Reading* in 1869. He preferred to keep such works in his studio or give them to pupils and friends. The critic Theophile Gautier was perplexed by *A Woman Reading*, although he ultimately found it "pleasing for its naivete and colour in spite of the faulty drawing of the figure." Four figures (out of a total of forty-four works) were shown in Paris at the Exposition Universelle in 1889, and an appreciation of this aspect of Corot's work slowly began to emerge. It was not until 1909, when a group of figure pieces was shown alone at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, that a broad critical understanding began to develop.
• What techniques or materials did Camille Corot use?+

  Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot^[8] (1796^[2]-1875^[2]) studied painting from 1822^[2] to 1825. His instructors included the Classical painter Victor Bertin, who taught him drawing. More importantly, Bertin emphasised making small, open-air studies called pochades; these were rapidly executed colour studies in oil. Corot travelled extensively in France, with a particular attachment to the countryside around Paris. He also visited Italy (1825-1828^[2], 1834, and 1843), Switzerland, the Netherlands, and England. During his first stay in Italy, he produced about 150 small paintings, mostly of famous sites. View of Rome is typical; it is an oil on paper, made on the spot in about an hour. From the 1850s, Corot adopted a more lyrical style, using a light touch and a muted palette. By adding white to many of his colours, he gave his pictures an ethereal, silvery appearance.
• What was Camille Corot known for?+

  Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796^[2]-1875^[2]) is known as an important figure in French^[2] painting and a leading painter of the Barbizon School. He influenced the Impressionists and many painters of scenery in the latter half of the 19th century. Corot united truth and lyricism in his work. His truthfulness influenced artists such as Honoré Daumier and the Barbizon School. His style was far from the heroics of the Romantics; he saw the world with an innocent truthfulness. In 1825^[2], a trip to Italy influenced his approach to painting. He experienced the benefits of painting *en plein air*, and his depictions of light set a new precedent in French scenery painting. He valued making sketches *in situ* for their spontaneity, truth, and atmosphere. Although he was responsive to the serenity of classical scenery, he sometimes painted from memory later on. An example is *A View near Volterra* (1834), painted from sketches.
• When did Camille Corot live and work?+

  Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot was born in Paris in 1796^[2] and died there in 1875^[2]. After a five-year apprenticeship in the drapery trade, Corot studied painting from 1822^[2] to 1825. His teachers included the painter Michallon and the Classical painter Victor Bertin. He copied works by Joseph Vernet and seventeenth-century Dutch masters. Convinced that one could only be an artist after developing a strong passion for nature, he painted outdoors, mostly sketching. He worked in the forest of Fontainebleau, and also at Dieppe, Le Havre, Rouen, and Ville d'Avray, where his father had a house. His first trip to Italy, from 1825 to 1828, proved decisive in his artistic development. While there, he produced oil studies from nature, including views of Roman monuments and the surrounding scenery. After returning from Italy, Corot worked in various parts of France. He also revisited Italy in 1834 and 1843 and travelled to Holland in 1854 and England in 1862.
• Where was Camille Corot from?+

  Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot was born in Paris in 1796^[2]. His family was middle class. Later, he had a studio constructed at his parents’ house near Versailles. Although he travelled widely, he remained especially attached to the countryside around Paris. He died in Paris in 1875^[2]. After a five-year apprenticeship in the drapery trade, Corot studied painting from 1822^[2] to 1825. His teachers included Achille-Etna Michallon and the Classical painter Victor Bertin. He also copied works by Joseph Vernet and the 17th-century Dutch masters. He believed that an artist needed a strong passion for nature. He painted and sketched outdoors, working in the forest of Fontainebleau, at Dieppe, Le Havre, Rouen, and Ville d'Avray (where his father owned a house).
• Who did Camille Corot influence?+

  Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot^[8] (1796^[2]-1875^[2]) painted over 3,000 canvases and inspired generations of painters. His approach combines academic tradition with a fresh vision. Corot has been called both 'the last of the Classical landscapists, and the first of the Impressionists'. Aspects of his later paintings can be seen in the work of Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet. Living in Ville d’Avray near Paris, Corot painted the ponds near his house, the reflection in their water of weeping willows, and the shaded paths that led into the forest. Even if his depictions evoked memories of Italy, Ville-d’Avray was still recognisable. Corot was sensitive to nature. Within the range of a simple grey-green palette, he produced subtle gradations of shadow and light. In Corot’s painting, colour played a secondary role; its luminosity created a misty, atmospheric effect and a sad, lyrical mood. All these characteristics gave his paintings a quality of visual reality and movement to which the Impressionists aspired.
• Who influenced Camille Corot?+

  Camille Corot (1796^[2]-1875^[2]) studied painting from 1822^[2] to 1825. His initial instructors were the painter Michallon and the Classical painter Victor Bertin. He also learned by copying works by Joseph Vernet and 17th-century Dutch masters. A decisive period for Corot's artistic growth was his first trip to Rome (1825 to 1828). While there, he created numerous oil studies from nature, capturing views of Roman monuments and the surrounding scenery. These studies displayed a freshness, capturing light and atmosphere with subtle variations in tonal values. Upon his return from Italy, Corot worked in various locations in France. Later in his career, his art was greatly affected by his friendship with the Barbizon painters, including Rosseau, Millet, Troyon, and Dupré, in the late 1840s. Around this time, his style shifted towards romantic-lyrical scenery, interpreting nature in her various moods with delicate, muted tones. His work had an inspiring effect on the Impressionists.
• Who was Camille Corot?+

  Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796^[2]-1875^[2]) was a French^[2] painter associated with the Barbizon School. He is regarded as a critical figure in the development of French landscape painting and had an influence on the Impressionists. Corot was born in Paris. After a five-year apprenticeship in the drapery trade, he studied painting from 1822^[2] to 1825. His instructors included Achille-Etna Michallon and Jean-Victor Bertin, both painters of landscapes. He also learned by copying works by Joseph Vernet and seventeenth-century Dutch masters. Corot believed that one could only be an artist through a strong passion for nature. He painted and sketched outdoors, working in locations such as the forest of Fontainebleau, Dieppe, Le Havre, Rouen, and Ville d'Avray. His art was greatly influenced by his friendship with the Barbizon painters Rosseau, Millet, Troyon, and Dupré in the late 1840s. His romantic, lyrical pieces interpreted nature in various moods, using delicate, soft silver tones.
• What was Camille Corot's art style?+

  Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot studied painting from 1822^[2] to 1825, first with the painter Michallon, then with the Classical painter Victor Bertin. He also copied works by Joseph Vernet and other artists, including the 17th century Dutch masters.
• When was Camille Corot born?+

  Camille Corot was born in 1796^[2]. Camille Corot died in 1875^[2], aged 79.
• How did Camille Corot die?+

  Camille Corot died in 1875^[2] at the age of 79.