Jean Baptiste Camille Corot

Corot, Jean Baptiste Camille (1796–1875), French landscape painter. He is best known for the subtly atmospheric paintings that made him popular in the 1850s. While studying in Rome, he broke from the classical tradition and began to achieve sensitive effects of light by painting directly from nature. After his return to France he began to develop the soft, gray-green landscapes that made his reputation. His influence on his fellow artists of the Barbizon School was considerable, and the impressionists learned a great deal from him, though he never shared their views. Most of the world's major art galleries have examples of Corot's work.