The French painter and draftsman Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867) was the most representative artist of the Barbizon school and an intermediary between the Dutch landscapists of the 17th century and the impressionist school.

Born in Paris, Théodore Rousseau seems to have been initially stimulated to paint landscape by a cousin. The example of Dutch painting supplemented the formal instruction that Rousseau received from minor artists of his own time. A precocious artist who was painting from nature at the age of 15, he combined an analytical eye with a romantic heart.

In the 1830s Rousseau established himself with a series of boldly painted and dramatic scenes from the Auvergne, such as the Torrent (ca. 1830). Among the pictures done in northern France, the Forest of Fontainebleau, Bas-Bréau (begun 1837-1839, completed 1867) is especially characteristic. The Valley of Tiffauge (1837-1841) is another outstanding illustration of an almost...