François-Louis Français

François-Louis Français (1814-1897) was a French landscape painter and printmaker who played a significant role in the evolution of 19th-century French landscape art. Born in Plombières-les-Bains, he initially trained as a lithographer before turning to painting, studying under Jean Gigoux. Français became associated with the Barbizon School's emphasis on direct observation of nature, though he maintained a more finished, classical approach than some of his contemporaries. T…