Do You Know All French Impressionists?

Have you ever heard French impressionist artist named Bazille? Me, neither. Yet, this guy really existed. Well, it turns out that Jean Frédéric Bazille was in fact a French Impressionist painter best known for his depiction of figures. He was born in Montpellier into a middle-class Protestant family. He became interested in painting after seeing some works of Eugène Delacroix. His family agreed to let him study painting, but only if he also studied medicine.

Bazille agreed and he moved to Paris in 1862 to continue his studies. There he met Pierre-Auguste Renoir, was drawn to Impressionist painting, and began taking classes in Charles Gleyre's studio. No wonder, that he failed his medicine exams and began painting full-time. His close friends included Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Édouard Manet. Born to a wealthy family, Bazille even helped support some of these geniuses by giving them space in his studio and materials to use.

Bazille was just twenty-three years old when he painted several famous works, like famous The Pink Dress. But his best known painting is Family Reunion. We, probably, have not heard of him, because he died so young - at the age of 29 in 1870. He was killed in action during the Franco-Prussian War.