Early Life, Training and Artistic Beginnings Paris, July 11, 1842. Émile Mathon enters the world in the former 3rd arrondissement. He grows into a painter and printmaker, developing a technical foundation under the guidance of established masters. He studies under Louis Arban and Charles-François Daubigny, the latter a central figure of the Barbizon school. These early years of instruction shape his approach to the canvas and the plate. The professional stage arrives in 1868 when Mathon makes his debut at the Paris Salon. He returns to the Salon repeatedly, maintaining a presence in these e…