Charles-François Daubigny (1817-1878) was a key figure of the Barbizon School which focused on naturalistic landscape painting in the 19th century. The school, instead of choosing rural scenes, captured industrial London. Despite Daubigny’s French nationality, he was exiled to London after the Franco-Prussian War, and this was when he created his masterpieces of the city. This movement anticipated Impressionism, especially in its study of atmosphere, light, and urban modernity. The painting features the renowned dome of St Paul’s Cathedral which represents historical continuity as it is surrounded with bridges and steamships, symbols of industrial progress. Daubigny has captured a subtle tension between Old London and modern London which still exists today. The city’s smog dominates the image, obscuring the architecture, making the scene more about perception and urban experience. The tone is rather poetic instead of critical; Daubigny romanticises a vision of modernity where smoke merges with clouds and harsh man-made forms dissolve. The landscape reinforces a sense of stillness and heaviness, embodying the weight of the atmosphere of the city. The palette of greys, creams, and beiges dominate the sky while the muted blues, browns and blacks of the river and barges in the foreground create a low contrast, adding to the hazy climate which London is famous for. Daubigny has illustrated a poetic meditation on how modern cities, even in the 19th century, feel blurred and atmospheric amongst the constant transformation of humanity.
Charles-François Daubigny’s St Paul’s from the Surrey Side (1870) captures the Thames with a calm, atmospheric sensitivity characteristic of the Barbizon tradition. The loose brushwork and muted palette emphasize light, weather, and reflection rather than architectural precision. The painting quietly anticipates Impressionism through its focus on fleeting urban atmosphere and natural luminosity.
