Alexandre Defaux: A Painter of French Pastoral Life Born in Cergy, France, in 1826, Alexandre Defaux emerged as a significant figure within the Barbizon School of landscape painting – a movement that profoundly shifted the course of French art. While often associated with the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Corot, his artistic journey was one of independent exploration and a deeply personal response to the rural landscapes of France. Defaux’s work offers a serene glimpse into the daily rhythms of farming communities and the quiet beauty of the countryside, capturing an era before rapid industrializa…