On the Banks of the Oise

Daubigny owed his first success to the training he received in the graphic arts. However, his interest in landscape painting became apparent in his etchings and paintings, which he started to exhibit as early as 1838. This tendency asserted itself towards the mid-1840s when he made frequent stays in the forest of Fontainebleau. After his encounter with Corot, he devoted his entire career to landscape painting. He became so enthusiastic about out-of-doors painting that he built himself a studio boat and sailed the rivers of France until his death. The brushwork is quick and delicate, and rather than delineating the forms, it tends to create a global impression by means of subtle tones. This new approach gained the admiration of Monet, Sisley and Pissarro. Daubigny’s effort to suppress the difference between the sketch and the painting, and his acute observation of the play of light and colour showed the way to the Impressionists.