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Théodore Rousseau

French, 1812 - 1867

BiographyThe unofficial leader of the Barbizon School, Rousseau is most noteworthy because of his plein-air landscape painting and thick brushwork, which strongly influenced the Impressionists. After studying with Joseph Rémond and Guillaume Lethière, Rousseau began traveling to the outskirts of Paris to paint natural surroundings and eventually settled in Barbizon in 1841. While accepted at Salons from 1831-1835, as his work grew more non-Academic he was continually rejected from Salons until the 1850s (giving him the nickname 'le grande refuse'), even while acquiring a strong following of disciples which included Jean-Francois Millet and Narcisse Diaz. Some of his most important works are Descent of the Cattle (The Hague, Rijksmus. Mesdag), Avenue of Chestnut Trees (Paris, Louvre) and Edge of the Forest at Fontainebleau (Paris, Louvre). Eventually, Rousseau received the Legion d'honneur in 1852, though his work remained controversial to those in the Museum community, who refused to hold a memorial exhibition after his death in 1867.

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