This great artist is maybe the least renowned painter of Impressionism. He was part of the first group of revolutionary artists and appeared in 1863 to The Salon des Refusés. He rapidly adheres to light painting novation. Unlike a general opinion, he contributed to elaboration of new pictorial aesthetic precept during meeting at Café Guerbois with the ones we didn’t already called Impressionist but “Naturalist”.

Of humble origin, he occupied a little job to Bridges and Road Administration. From his childhood he dedicated his free time painting.

In 1863, at the age of 22, he exhibits at Salon des Refusés. The same year, he frequents Swiss Academy, with young artists rejecting traditional and official education, and met Cézanne and Pissaro. He participated to Impressionist exhibition since the first at Nadar’s in 1874.

Since this time, he paints landscapes outside (excluding other approaches), refusing to “give another touch than nature”. He knew success lately.

It is wrong that some critics insist on his Parisian period as the first. He painted at different bright times of the day in Montmartre. During these years, between 1875 and 1880, he lived at Dr Gachet’s home in Auvers. Guillemain finds essential elements to his painting outside town, in Yonne first of all, then in Creuse. Around 1887, when he discovered the Creuse, a region so favourable to his style flourishing, he met Vincent Van Gogh. For the records, the painter leave Dr Gachet’s home because he thought the doctor has wrongly hanging a painting of Guillaumin.

In 1871, he won on lottery and thus was able to quit his job and dedicated himself entirely to his art, travelling around France.

In his first painting in Parisian region, he was different than other impressionists, using dense material and especially a vive coloration as we can see in Montmartre’s views in 1865.

He died in 1927, leaving a considerable artwork of Impressionism then Fauve inspiration.