French Painters: Corot to Manet

Did you know that Realist painter Gustav Courbet was given a six-month prison sentence and a fine of 500 francs for destruction of Vendôme Column and later asked to pay instalments of 10,000 francs a year for the next 33 years?

Did you know that Honoré Daumier made a caricature of King Louis-Phillip as the hungry giant Gargantua in 1831 in the anti-monarchist, newspaper Le Caricature and was imprisoned from 1832 to 1833?

Did you know that Jean-François Millet was called "the wild man of the woods" by Academic painter Paul Delarouche?

Did you know that animal painter Rosa Bonheur was the first woman to receive the prestigious Légion d'Honneur medal for achievement in the arts?

Did you know that Edouard Manet's painting Lunch on the Grass (1863) was described by Emperor Napoleon III as "an offence against modesty"?

Did you know that Oscar Wilde wrote his play Salome (1893) after being inspired by Moreau's painting The Apparition (1876)?

The book French Painters: Corot to Manet includes many such nuggets of information. It is an introductory book about nineteenth century pre-Impressionist painters. Included in the book are painters from the Barbizon school followed by painters from the schools of Academicism, Realism, Orientalism, Naturalism and Symbolism. Some important painters included are Camille Corot, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jean-François Millet, Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet and Gustave Moreau. Each section is profusely illustrated with great paintings. A section deals with French paintings of various genres, including history, landscape, still life, and genre paintings. Many French paintings are based on literary texts. A chapter deals with such paintings. The book also includes interesting quizzes on Painters and paintings.