Waldemar Januszczak TV - Biography online - History of Painters online -
Frédéric Bazille ... so talented that he might have become the greatest of all the Impressionists if the Germans hadn’t killed him first. Waldemar Januszczak, The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution I: Gang of Four, BBC 2011
Bazille and Monet were close. ibid.
No-one in art had previously painted sunshine as bright as this. ibid.
Frédéric Bazille’s best-known work, Family Reunion (1867), was a leading example of what is now known as outdoor figural art. The painting was exhibited at the Salon, France’s exclusive state-run art show, in 1869. Family Reunion showed Bazille’s extended family at their country estate, Méric, and exemplified the artist’s use of color and adept depiction of human figures, both hallmarks of the Realist-Impressionist style. The painting was an example of the challenge that faced all Impressionists: how to reconcile traditional figure painting with an outdoor practice. Biography online
Frédéric Bazille’s dazzling paintings demonstrate his mastery of capturing the effects of sunlight on the landscape. In his greatest painting, Little Gardener, circa 1866, he combined both classical and romantic styles. Deep green leaves dance in the foreground, intensifying the impact of a woodland paradise. Ruffled by a light breeze, cheerful flowers evoke joyous emotions, like the tranquility of a spring morning. Bazille creates a charming scene of serenity and harmony while stressing balance and clarity of outline.
His unique style of painting is characterized by concentration on the overall impression produced by a scene or object and the use of unmixed primary colours and small brushstrokes to suggest reflected light. Bazille was an open air painter, observing nature directly and record fleeting atmospheric effects with his brush. He believed that light was inseparable from the object it illuminated, so to capture the light at a precise moment, he worked from direct observation. Bazille was not aiming simply to illustrate nature’s luminous lighting effects but was inclined toward a more individual interpretation that symbolized a deeper spiritual meaning. History of Painters online