Charles-Francois Daubigny (Born 1817) was born in Paris. His father was a landscape painter, while his aunt and uncle were miniaturists. From 1838 on, he enjoyed much success at the Salons where he exhibited graphic art in the form of, woodcuts, etchings, illustrations and lithographs and this contributed immensely to his income. Some of his rarely seen images have an astonishingly airy, light, and evocative touch. In 1835, the artist made the customary trip to Italy and did some idyllic landscapes, but his ultimate direction was more determinedly shaped by the paintings of the Dutch landscape. Three years after arriving in Italy, he became a student of Paul Delaroche, the academic painter. Daubigny visited England in 1866, but eventually returned because of the Franco-Prussian war that broke out in 1870. He met Monet Claude in London, and the two left for the Netherlands together.
He met Cézanne Paul back in Auvers. Paul was another important impressionist and he was influenced by Daubigny’s work. Daubigny's pupils and followers were Delpy, Oudinot, Damoye, Albert Charpin and his son Karl. It is between 1864 and 1874 that his finest pictures were painted - and these mostly consisted of carefully completed landscapes with rivers, trees, and some ducks. When he liked his pictures he had to add another duck or two, so many people know that that the number of ducks in his pictures often indicates the artistic quality of his pictures. His most outstanding canvases are: Borde de la Cure, Morvan; Springtime, in the Louvre; Moonlight; Villerville sur Mer; Return of the Flock and Auvers-sur-Oise.
