La Tour Eiffel à Paris

A key yet often overlooked figure in the Impressionist movement, this French painter embraced vibrant color and light with a boldness that sometimes outpaced his peers. While less celebrated than Monet or Renoir, his work laid groundwork for later movements like Fauvism, particularly in his fearless use of saturated hues. Industrial landscapes, river scenes, and sun-drenched countryside vistas dominated his oeuvre, rendered with thick, energetic brushstrokes that captured the dynamism of nature. Financial struggles forced him to work as a railway clerk early on, yet he painted relentlessly, exhibiting in the pivotal 1874 Impressionist exhibition. His friendship with Cézanne and Pissarro proved formative; the trio often worked side by side, though his palette grew distinctly brighter over time. Critics occasionally dismissed his intensity—crimson skies and acid greens defied convention—but this very audacity influenced younger artists like Matisse. Later in life, a lottery win granted him financial freedom, allowing a shift to the sun-soaked Midi region. There, his colors reached new heights of luminosity, with swirling compositions of olive groves and rocky coasts. Though never a household name, his experimental approach bridged Impressionism’s spontaneity and the emotive colorism of 20th-century modernism.