Barbizon Painters: Pioneers Of The Forest And Modern Painting

Presented by Joanne Rhymer

In the early 19th century, the Forest of Fontainebleau, situated 35 miles from Paris, became a key inspiration for modern landscape painting. Artists and tourists flocked there to escape the city. For painters, the Forest’s diverse terrain – woodlands, rocks, oaks, marshes, and glades – offered endless opportunities to explore light, colour, and composition. Painting en plein air (out of doors) transformed artistic practice, fostering new realism and atmospheric effects. Looking at work by painters including Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet – members of the so-called Barbizon School – we will discover how they innovated and laid the groundwork for French Impressionism. Designs of Sonia Delaunay, to the poster girls of Shanghai and the luxury of Cartier.

Dates and Locations

Tuesday 12 May 2026 Scone (NSW)

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