Impressionism, locations
where the ‘impressionists’ did paint:
The Fontainebleau forest
a topographical overview
Introduction:
Fontainebleau forest lies about 60km south-east of Paris. Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Bazille wanted to paint en-plein-air inspired by the Barbizon-painters. All four being pupils of Gleyre, they formed one of the circles of friends. Their painting in the Fontainebleau forest is an important step for the ‘impressionist’ art-movement. They went there many times during the years 1862-1871 (R30; R31), but it is not always clear who went when, see.
On this page you will find an impression of the works they made in the Fontainebleau forest and it’s surrounding villages. At the end of this page you will find also some works of the Barbizon painters, who inspired the ‘impressionists’. They are seen as pre-impressionists. When we compare their works, with those made by the ‘impressionists’ in the 1860s, we see that the painting style of the ‘impressionists’ still was pre-impressionistic. Their colours were still sub-dued, using many brownish and greyish colours, namely also in the shadow parts. Still, they painted (partly) en-plein-air and tried to catch the fleeting moment, namely the influence of the sunlight on the colours.
Hôtel and Inn:
In April 1863 Renoir, Monet, Bazille and Sisley stayed at Auberge du Cheval-Blanc in Chailly-en-Bière (iR9; R30,p9; R22, p49). They also stayed in Hôtel du Lion in Chailly-en-Bière (west of Fontainebleau), where Monet one time was wounded. Maybe in Spring 1865, with Pissarro, but without Bazille (R30,p9). They often stayed at ‘Cabaret de la Mère Anthony’ in Marlotte (R3) south of Fontainebleau, the Inn which Renoir painted in 1866, with Jules le Coeur standing* and Sisley with the hat on (R31,no4). In Februar 1866 Sisley, Renoir and Jules le Coeur painted in the surroundings of Marlotte (where le Coeur had bought a house in 1865), Milly and Courances (R166,p91). By then Monet and Bazille were working in Chailly-en-Bière (R166,p91). In 1865 Renoir lived there with his brother Edmond and met Courbet (R30,p9). From February till April Renoir stayed frequently with Sisley and Le Coeur in Marlotte (R31,p295). In the summer of 1866 Renoir alternately stays with Jules le Coeur and in ‘Mère Anthony’ (R30,p9)
Note*: The figure standing is formerly (wrongly) identified as Monet. In a way this confirmed the myth that Bazille, Monet, Renoir and Sisley always spend their time together as a closed group of friends. In reality they often worked alone and in pairs. Renoir was very close to Jules le Coeur.
Portraits in Fontainebleau:
In 1865 Monet worked on his large painting ‘Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe’↑↑ in Chailly, west of Fontainebleau (R22,p58). In July 1867 Renoir portrayed Lise Tréhot also in Chailly-en-Bière (R30,no22). Renoir often painted in the surroundings of Marlotte, where his friend Jules le Coeur had bought a house in 1865. In his landscapes he depicted small figures.
Villages:
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Fields around the Fontainebleau forest:
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Paths in the forest:
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Clearings in the forest:
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Trees in the forest:
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Barbizon painters in Fontainebleau:
Fontainebleau already was famous because of the Barbizon-school. Since the 1820s they often painted here. Rousseau even moved to Barbizon (west of Fontainebleau) in 1836, Jean-François Millet followed in 1849 and had Charles Jacque as neighbour (R59,p144+154). They still painted there in the years the Impressionists painted there. Anyway there had been encounters with Daubigny, Diaz and Corot (R32,p10). Renoir even destroyed his ‘Esmeralda’ exhibited at the Salon of 1864 because Diaz criticised his use of bitumen (R32,p11).
Sources:
My most important sources are the works of Dony (R30) and Raeburn (R31) about Renoir and of Wildenstein (R22) about Monet. For the locations I used Google maps (iR9). For background information on the places I mostly used WikiPedia (iR3).
For other general references (=R) see. For other references to internet sites (=iR) see. For other additional references (=aR) see below. See links for practical hints and abbreviations and for the subscription of the paintings.
Further readings:
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Additional references (=aRx):
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Recommanded citation: “Impressionism, locations where the ‘impressionists’ did paint: the Fontainebleau forest. Last modified 2025/02/18. https://www.impressionism.nl/fontainebleau/”
Note: additional info and pictures will follow.