Théodore Rousseau

Étienne Pierre Théodore Rousseau (French pronunciation: [etjɛn pjɛʁ teɔdɔʁ ʁuso]; 15 April 1812 – 22 December 1867) was a French painter of the Barbizon School.

He was born in Paris, France in a bourgeois family.

At first he received a basic level of training, but soon displayed aptitude for painting.

Although his father regretted the decision at first, he became reconciled to his son forsaking business, and throughout the artist's career (for he survived his son) was a sympathizer with him in all his conflicts with the Paris Salon authorities.

Théodore Rousseau shared the difficulties of the romantic painters of 1830, in securing for their pictures a place in the annual Paris exhibition.

The influence of classically trained artists was against them, and not until 1848 was Rousseau presented adequately to the public.

He had exhibited six works in the Salons of 1831, 1833, 1834 and 1835, but in 1836 his great work Paysage du Jura [La descente des vaches] was rejected by the Salon jury. He sent a total of eight further works to the Salon between 1836 and 1841; and yet none of them were accepted.