The Storm

A solitary figure braces himself against the wind as he trudges across a plain in the Forest of Fontainebleau accompanied by his dog. Diaz frequented the villages of Barbizon and Chailly and was among the first painters to explore the nearby forest. Although he exhibited figurative paintings at the Paris Salons, Diaz's major contributions were in the field of landscape painting. His sketches made outdoors employing rich juxtapositions of dabs of color inspired the future impressionists Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, and Frédéric Bazille.