Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña

French painter and printmaker
French, (1808–1876)
Born of Spanish parents, Diaz spent much of his early life studying to be a porcelain painter, and later a painter of historical scenes. Eventually, he visited the Forest of Fontainebleau, and became influenced by Théodore Rousseau and the Barbizon School. Diaz's landscapes, although naturalistic, retained classical influences yet contained brilliant colors, and these as well as his mythic paintings were exhibited at the Salons in the 1830s. In the 1850s, Diaz often painted gypsies in picturesque settings with shimmering light. His work was influential on the Impressionists, particularly Monet and Renoir.