Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Youth and years of training

Corot is resulting from a family of easy tradesmen: his/her mother, Marie-Francoise Corot (1768-1851), born Oberson and of Swiss origin, and his father, Jacques Louis Corot (1771-1847), manage a store of famous mode located at the angle of the Rue of the Vat and Quai Voltaire with Paris. Corot have two other children, Annette Octavie (1793-1874) and Victoire Anne (1797-1821).

Jean-Baptiste makes studies without glare with the college of Rouen. Sunday it is accommodated by friends of its parents, Sennegon, auprès of which it will learn how to like nature. At leaving the college it is placed by his father in a cloth merchant in Rouen. But the young man hardly has taste for the trade, and in 1822 it ends up convincing his parents, at the 26 years age, to authorize it to continue a career of painter, by obtaining them an annual rent of 1.500 francs. The ease of his/her parents the met with the shelter of the need, but n the other hand it will remain dependant on them until their death.

In spring of this same year, it enters the workshop of the painter Achille Etna Michallon, hardly older than him and which returns from Rome where the Grand Prix of the historical landscape obtained in 1817 led. Michallon inculcates in Corot the principles Néoclassicisme and encourages it to work in the open air. But he dies a few months later, and Corot continues its formation with Jean-Victor Bertin, which had Michallon as raises and which like teaches to him in Corot the science of the neo-classic compositions and the historical Paysage. Bertin encourages it to go to work in Forêt of Fontainebleau. Corot will be thus one of the first painters to be worked in the village of Barbizon.

The relationship between the traditional ideals and the observation of nature, itself inherited the teaching of Pierre-Henri of Valencians, was to remain fundamental throughout its career.

The beginning of a career

Since the 18th century the voyage in Italy belongs to the training of all young artist. Corot is already familiar of the Italian landscapes which it copied from the brought back fabrics of Italy by its Michallon Master. It is thus quite naturally that he asks his parents to finance its first voyage. It will remain, between 1825 and 1828, with Rome, Naples and Venice. It goes one second time to Italy in 1834 (Toscane, Venice) and again in 1843.

Corot also traverses without slackening the French provinces in the search of landscapes which it paints for the pleasure and visual enrichment that they bring to him: if it started to exert its talents of young painter with City-in Avray, close to Paris, it frequently goes, between 1830 and 1845, in Normandy in his friends Sennegon, but also in Auvergne, Provence, the Limousin, Burgundy, Brittany (at its pupil and friendly Charles the Russet-red one, in Pasquiaud in Corsept), in Charente, in the Morvan, like in Suisse. Generally it remains in friends, painters or clothiers.

It paints especially landscapes but is also interested with happiness in architectures (“the cathedral of Chartres”, 1830). Without idealizing its model, he makes an effort, of a thick and fast key, to capture the atmosphere, to seize the plays of light of it, the reflections of water, the texture of a wall. But these fabrics are for him only studies, which he never thinks of exposing. They are indeed intended to be employed again in more ambitious compositions, in matter historical, mythological or religious, worthy according to the ideal Néoclassique to only be presented to the public.

Corot faces for the first time the Salon in 1835 with a large table entitled “Agar in the desert”, illustration of an episode of the Genèse, which is received favorably. In the following years Corot will take part regularly in the Living room, alternating religious and mythological topics. As from this time it draws the attention of its contemporaries, and often their admiration. However Corot proves to be difficult to classify and escapes the schools: if the “modern ones”, allured by its treatment of the landscape, regret its attachment been obstinated with the neo-classic topics, the neo-classic ones for their part regimbent in front of the realistic treatment of its trees and its rocks.

Maturity

As from the years the 1850 notoriety of Corot grows, and the public and the merchants start to be interested in him. His missing parents (his mother in 1851, its father since 1847), it is at the same time more independent financially and released from the family constraints.

It continues to travel, traverses the Dauphiné in company of the painter and friendly Daubigny with which it will paint with Auvers-sur-Oise. Corot goes regularly to Arras and Douai, at Constant Dutilleux and its two sons-in-law Charles Desavary and Alfred Robaut with which it bound of friendship. It is initiated at Dutilleux with the technique of stereotype-glass, of which it will produce an about sixty specimens.

It is in addition attracted more and more, as from 1850, by a painting in which it leaves free course to its imagination, forsaking the exactitude of the landscape painted “on the reason”, that it reorganizes with its liking, and renonçant with the historical accounts, which are nothing any more but one pretext with dreamed and bathed landscapes silver plated or gilded halations. The topic of the “memory” becomes dominating in its work, interfering the reminiscences a site and the emotions which remain to him associated in the memory with the painter. Follow one another then of the fabrics such as “Morning, Danse of the Nymphs”, “Memory of Marcoussis”, celebrates it “Memory of Mortefontaine”.

In 1846 it is made knight of the Légion of honor for its work, and is promoted officer in 1867. However his/her friends, considering that he had not been officially recognized with his right value (it had ever received the medal of first class to the Living room), offered their own medal in 1874 to him, little before his death.

During the last years of its life Corot gained money large sums thanks to its fabrics, which were very required.
Its generosity was proverbial: in 1871, it gave 20.000 Francs to the poor of Paris, which underwent the seat of the Prussians. In 1872, it bought a house in Auvers-sur-Oise which it offered to Honore Daumier, become blind and without resources. In 1875, it gave 10.000 francs to the widow of Jean-François Millet to help it with his children. Its generosity was thus not a legend. It also financially helped a center for disinherited young people, street Vandrezanne, in Paris.

Corot died in Paris and is buried with the cemetery of the Lachaise Father.

Influence

Corot is sometimes called “the father of the Impressionnisme”. However it is an appreciation which it is necessary to moderate.

It is true that Corot had like pupils of the painters traditionally associated with the Impressionnisme, or considered as pre-impressionists, in particular Eugene Boudin, Stanislas Lépine, Eugene Lavieille, Antoine Chintreuil, French François-Louis, the Russet-red one, Berthe Morisot and Alexandre DeFaux; it is true also that its research on the light, its predilection for work on the reason and the landscape seized on the sharp one anticipates impressionism. But it should not be forgotten that Corot feared the upheavals, in art as in policy, and that there remained faithful all its life to the neo-classic tradition in which it had been formed. If it deviated some, towards the end of its career, it is to give up itself with imagination and the sensitivity in “memories” which announce symbolism as much or more than impressionism.

To make of Corot the “father of impressionism” is thus to make him at the same time too much and not enough honor: too much because the impressionist current developed largely apart from him, even in spite of him, even if there did not remain entirely foreign there; and too little because Corot built a work rather rich and varied for touching with all the currents of its time.

Works

Corot is especially known as painter of landscapes but he is also the author of many portraits (close or figures to imagination).

He works quickly by fast and broad keys and exploits the light thanks to a great observation.

Among the most famous works, one can quote:

Self-portrait, Corot with Its Rest (1825), with the Louvre
the Bridge of Narni (1826), with the Museum of the fine arts of Canada
Colisée Seen of the Gardens Farnese (1826), in Louvre
Rome, the Tiber with the Castle Saint-Angel (1826-1828), in Louvre
the Island of San Bartolomeo (1826-1828), with the Museum of the Art schools of Boston
Boats with veils failed Trouville (1829), with the Museum of Orsay
the Cathedral of Chartres (1830), in Louvre (see also drawing black lead)
Self-portrait, the pallet with the hand (1830 - 1835?), to the Gallery of the Offices of Florence
Portrait of Marie-Louise Laure Sennegon (1831), to Louvre
Volterra, the municipe (1834), to Louvre
Escape in Egypt (1840)
the Small Shepherd (1840), to the Museum of Metz
the church of Lormes (1841) in Wadsworth Atheneum, Boston, the USA
Marietta, Odalisque Roman (1843), to the Musée of the Petit Palais
Portrait of Mrs Charmois says Portrait of Claire Sennegon (1845), in Louvre
Homère and the Shepherds (1845), with the Museum of Saint-Lo
Seen Forum Romain (1846), in Louvre
One Morning, dances of the Nymphs (1850-1851), with the Museum of Orsay
Cavalier In Wood (1850-1855), with the National Gallery London
Tour at the edge of Water (1829), with the Museum of Orsay
the Strong gale (1855-1860), with the Musée of the Art schools of Rheims
the pastoral Concert (1857), with Museum Cop with l interior of the Castle of Chantilly
Nymphs disarming Love (1857), in Louvre
Macbeth (1859), in the Collection Wallace
Young girl with her Toilet (1860-1865), (oil on paperboard) in Louvre
the Lake (1861)
Meadow by the Swamp , with the National museum of Serbia
To remember Mortefontaine (1864), in Louvre
the Tree broken (1865)
Pre in front of the Village (1865), with the Museum of the Art schools of Lyon
Mantes, the Cathedral and the City seen through the trees, the evening (1865-1868), with the Museum of the Art schools of Rheims
Young woman With the Well (1865-1870), State Museum Kröller-Müller
Sitted Italian Playing of the Mandoline (1865), in the collection O. Reinhart Winterthur
Agostina (1866), with the Washington National Gallery
Stopped Reading (1865-1870), with the Art Institute off Chicago
the church of Marissel (1867), in Louvre
It Bridge of Mantes , (1868-1870), in Louvre
the Woman with the Pearl (1869), the Louvre
the Belfry of Douai (1871), at the Louvre
the pond of City-in Avray (1871), in Louvre
Close to Arras (1872), with the Municipal Museum of Arras
Pastoral — To remember Italy (1873), in Glasgow Corporation Sin-the-Noble Art Gallery
(1873), in Louvre
Dunkirk, seen fishing port (1873), in the collection O. Reinhart Winterthur
the Woman in Blue (1874), in Louvre
Interior of the cathedral of Direction (1874), in Louvre
the Monk with the Violoncello (1874)
Biblis (1875)
Rocks in the forest of Fontainebleau
the Workshop Young woman with the red blouse (1853-1865), with the Museum of Orsay
the rêveuse Gipsy
lengthened Young woman , drawing, coll Ernst Rouart
Mornex (High Savoy) (1842), drawing, Louvre
Young woman with the arms crosseds , drawing, Louvre
Young girl with the beret , drawing, Museum of the Art schools of Lille
Orphée bringing back Eurydice of the hells

Note: Alfred Robaut had indexed all the tables of Corot but three hundreds remained lost.

Some works of Corot

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