John Constable - 'Une fillette avec pigeons', after Jean-Baptiste Greuze

John Constable (1776—1837) was a signification figure in English landscape painting in the early 19th century. He is best known for his paintings of the English countryside, particularly those representing his native valley of the River Stour, an area that came to be known as “Constable country.”

Born in Tournus, Burgundy, France, Greuze began his artistic training in Lyon before moving to Paris to study with Charles-Joseph Natoire. He gained recognition for his genre scenes, which depicted everyday life in a sentimental and moralising way. One of his most famous works is The Village Bride, which shows a young bride being comforted by her mother as she prepares to leave home. The painting has been praised for its emotional intensity and realism. Greuze also painted portraits of famous people such as King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, as well as historical scenes such as "Septimius Severus and Caracalla" and "The Death of Seneca". Despite his success, Greuze fell out of favour with the art establishment in his later years and struggled financially. He died in Paris in 1805. Today, Greuze is remembered as one of the leading artists of the 18th-century French Rococo movement, known for his sensitive depictions of human emotion and his ability to capture the nuances of everyday life.