From 1846 To 1863
In this study, tonality and the dispersal of light are emphasized at the expense of detail.
Aligny developed this distinctive approach to painting and drawing from nature in the 1820s, first alongside his companion Camille Corot in Italy and later in the Forest of Fontainebleau in his native France.
The view seen here may have been sketched in the park of the château of Mortefontaine near Senlis, northeast of Paris, which Aligny visited in 1850 and 1851.
Bust-Length Study of a Man
Biard's painting of a man's head and face was not intended as a portrait but as a study of a model.
The painting was created in 1848 and the man's features and expression are compelling.
The painting relates to a painting commissioned by Biard in 1848.
The Drinkers
This painting, which was first exhibited in Paris in 1861, bears a resemblance to an illustration by Daumier's contemporary Paul Gavarni that was published twenty years earlier.
The escape that alcohol offered to the poor is typical of the social themes Daumier explored throughout his career.
The first owner of this work was the landscape painter Charles Daubigny.