Fontainebleau

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2026-02-10 Diary Coverage: References during Paris years

Overview

Fontainebleau is a town 55 km southeast of Paris, famous for its royal palace and surrounding forest. For Marie Bashkirtseff, Fontainebleau represented both a historical landmark and a popular excursion destination from Paris. The Chateau de Fontainebleau, with its centuries of royal art collections, and the surrounding forest, beloved by the Barbizon school of painters, made it a site of particular interest for an aspiring artist.

Historical Context

The Palace

The Chateau de Fontainebleau was one of France's grandest royal residences:

• Originally a medieval hunting lodge, transformed by Francois I in the 16th century
• Home to a remarkable collection of Renaissance art, including works commissioned from Italian masters
• Napoleon I had used it as an imperial residence; it was here he signed his abdication in 1814
• Under the Third Republic, the palace was maintained as a national monument and museum

The Forest

The Forest of Fontainebleau (20,000 hectares) was artistically significant:

• The Barbizon School (Corot, Millet, Rousseau) had painted here from the 1830s-1860s
• Plein-air painting in the forest influenced the Impressionists
• The forest was a popular destination for Parisian day-trippers
• Rock formations, gorges, and ancient trees provided dramatic subjects

Significance for Marie

• Art historical importance: The palace collections and the Barbizon painters' legacy
• Parisian excursion: An accessible day trip from the capital
• Historical resonance: Centuries of French royal history
• Landscape painting: The forest as a subject for artists

Related Entries

• #Paris - The city from which excursions departed
• #Bois_de_Boulogne - Another Parisian green space