Jules Dupré

1811-1889

Jules Dupré began in his father's porcelain factory in Nantes before turning to landscape painting. He studied with Jean-Michel Diébolt and became a central figure of the Barbizon School, though he followed his own path: while his contemporaries gravitated toward the Forest of Fontainebleau, Dupré made his home in L'Isle-Adam, north of Paris, where he developed a more romantic approach to naturalistic painting. His romantic sensibility and innovative treatment of light and atmosphere influenced the Impressionists who came after him. He exhibited widely throughout his long career and received official recognition, including appointment as Commander of the Legion of Honour.