Forest of Fontainebleau Frederic Bazille Buy Art Prints Now
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by
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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Forest of Fontainebleau by Frederic Bazille is a successful painting which is appreciated in the art industry. Forest of Fontainebleau is of the landscape genre, and it features many trees in the Forest of Fontainebleau. In 1863 during the springtime, Bazille accompanied other artists to the Forest of Fontainebleau to paint en plein air.

At this time, landscape painting was gaining popularity. The artists learned a lot from each other during this trip. Landscape painting brought new aspects into the industry, such as loose brushwork, rich colour in pictures, natural lighting, and softened forms. Bazille was happy about learning landscape painting, and thus, he decided to do it. In 1865, he went to the Forest of Fontainebleau to his painting. He painted the forest in a way expressed the roughness and fullness of trees. The loose brushwork helped to depict the texture of trees, the scattered floor with debris and leaves, and the diversity of plants.

The painting was rich in colour that the green forests can be recognized by a person who is not close to the art. Rocks are also seen in the painting. Therefore, the painting depicts every single aspect that is in the forest. The dimension of the painting is 60 cm × 73 cm. The medium of the painting is oil on canvas and the style of the art used in impressionism. Bazille had a passion for landscape painting. Most of his other works also included landscape appearance. Forest of Fontainebleau was his dreams come true of having an art full of trees only. He loved making paintings of trees and gardens. The sky in the artwork gives life to the forest. The blue used for the sky and the white for the clouds provide a realistic graphic in the mind of a viewer.

Bazille took ample time to finish this painting before releasing it to the public. Bazille received his inspiration from Eugène Delacroix. Eugène used to do the best romantic artworks in France which Bazille loved. Therefore, he wanted to study art, and thus, he talked to his family, who allowed him. He moved to Paris where he met other artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley. He loved the work of these artists, and thus he practiced to improve on his skills. Forest of Fontainebleau is proof that Bazille had become an expert in the field. Forest of Fontainebleau can be found in Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.