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Charles-François Daubigny (1817-1878)
A Precursor to Impressionism -
Charles-François Daubigny
1817 - 1878Charles-François Daubigny was a pioneer of plein-air painting who provided a link between the painters of the Barbizon School and the Impressionists.
This was celebrated in 2016 with a Touring exhibition, entitled “Daubigny, Monet, Van Gogh: Impressions of Landscape' at the Taft Museum of Art,Cincinnati ; Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh; Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam . Importantly, the artist was a great champion of the Impressionists during a period their artwork recieved little official recognition.
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Early Career : A Figure of Realism
Born into a family of painters, Daubigny was taught by his father, Edmond François Daubigny, and by his uncle, the miniaturist Pierre Daubigny.
Following in the footsteps of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Daubigny began painting en plein-air , and had moved to Barbizon.
Between 1849 and 1858, the artist made several trips near the Rhone Valley, where he consolidated his technique, following the realist concepts, he emphasized the close depiction of nature, and his multiple nuances.
Daubigny's rich range of colours expanded as the artist started new subjects such as frontal seascapes or blossoming orchads. The artist painted numerous pictures of the latter subject. In 1857, the state would commission Spring, a beautiful example of orchards pictures. The small fortune gained from the commission undeniably helped the artist's career and made possible the acquisition of the famous studio The Botin.
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY
Les Marais d'Optevoz
1857
Oil on canvas
63 x 100 cm24 13/16 x 39 5/16 inches
Signed and dated lower right Daubigny 1857 -
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY
Vacher au bord du Hameau, 1857
Oil on panel
Signed lower right C.Daubigny, 1857
Sold by the gallery
Courtesy Stoppenbach & Delestre Archives, Private Collection, Germany
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Master Of Landscapes and Seascapes
Daubigny's great innovation was to capture nature in a spontaneous approach. His tonal values, his way of mixing colours directly onto the canvas, and his delicate touch became paramount to his style. Building up the painting layers gradually and retaining a sketch-like quality in his composition, Daubigny translated nature's effects in the most honest and literal way.
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[...] Long live the countryside and nature which serve as harmonic register for all good and beautiful things [...] Charles-François Daubigny Letter to La Rochenoire, 27 July 1874, in Michel 1904, p.56 ]
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY
Voiliers sur la mer, Normandie
c.1865
Oil on canvas
47 × 82.6 cm18½ × 32½ inches
Signed lower left ‘Daubigny’Sold by the gallery
Courtesy Stoppenbach & Delestre Archives / Private Collection, USA
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY
La Plage de Villerville, 1871
Oil on panel
23.2 x 47.2 cm
9 1/8 x 18 1/2 inches
Signed and dated lower right 'Daubigny 1871'
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Daubigny's Diary of River's Life
From 1860 onwards, Daubigny became a master of the river scene genre, developing a style of broad views at times taken from the riverbank or from his boat.
Alongside these paintings, the artist continued his series of works on paper, such as his novel volume of etchings, Le Voyage en Bateau published in 1862. Using different techniques such as engravings, sanguine or drawings, the artist captured the life on the river, WhicH offered a way to complement his painting practice.
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Le Voyage en Bateau
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY (1817-1878)
La mare au grand arbre
circa 1865
Red chalk on monogrammed paper
34.5 x 54.5 cm
13 9/16 x 21 7/16 inches
Stamped lower right with sale after death (Lugt. L.518)
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Inspiring Impressionism
Characterised by THE unique use of light effects and fluid brushstrokes, Daubigny’s paintings after 1857 convey feelings of spontaneity and truthfulness.
His work focuses on an emotional response to the landscape, breaking away from the traditional ‘salon’ paintings that depict historical scenes and portraits. Much of Daubigny’s time was spent on his studio boat – or Le Botin as he called it – another of his significant innovations which allowed him to capture the transitional, temporal character of nature. We see these subsequent effects, in the paintings he made on board, whilst tracing the water’s pathways along the Seine, the Oise and frequently, around the region of Auvers. Daubigny’s innovations, such as this, paved the way for fresh experiments in landscape painting.
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CHARLES FRANCOIS DAUBIGNY (1817-1878)
Le passeur de l’Oise, 1867
Oil on panel
38.5 x 67 cm15 1/8 x 26 3/8 inches
Signed and dated lower left Daubigny 1867Sold by the gallery
Courtesy Stoppenbach & Delestre Archives / Private Collection
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Look at any landscape by Daubigny: it is the very soul of nature that speaks to you [ Emile Zola in his comments about Daubigny's works at the Paris World’s Fair in 1878 ]
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY (1817-1878)
Les gardeuses d’oies, 1874
Oil on panel
38.9 x 67.1 cm
15 5/16 x 26 7/16 inches
Signed and dated lower right ‘1874’
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I was not able to work in the several excursions and ascensions made in the neighborhood, where it was very beautiful. One is so surprised by these grand aspects that it would be necessary to remain a long time before finding the interpretation capable of rendering them. I am going to finish the season at Auvers. There is nothing like one's natural every-day surroundings where one really takes pleasure. The pictures we do then feel the effect of their home-life, and the sweet sensations we experience in it.“
Charles-François Daubigny- Quote in Daubigny's letter to his friend Frédéric Henriet, 1872
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Artworks
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Charles-François Daubigny : Catalogue Raisonné
François Delestre is preparing the second supplement to the Catalogue Raisonné of the artist Charles-François Daubigny (1817-1878).
The first volume was published in 1976 by Mr Robert Hellebranth. It includes 1016 paintings. The second volume was published in 1996 by Mr Robert Hellebranth and his wife Anne Hellebranth and includes 224 paintings.
Following Mr Hellebranth's death, his wife asked François Delestre to pursue this work and a third volume will be published at a future date.
This work conducted shall provide a better sense of the artist’s work, and the third volume published in the future will help to consolidate the expansive database of the artist's paintings.
For any inquiries, please find below the contact details:
Second Supplément du Catalogue Raisonné de Charles François Daubigny
François Delestre
E-mail: cat.daubigny@artfrancais.com
17 Ryder Street St James's
London SW1Y 6PY - United Kingdom