View of the Cascade of the Gorge near Allevard (1803)

Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld: View of the Cascade of the Gorge near Allevard

Landscape art was an extremely minor aspect of French painting in the early 1800s - of course there were landscape backgrounds in many Neoclassic scenes, but few landscapes "for landscape's sake." Later, of course, painters like Courbet, Corot and Daubigny lifted the landscape form out of its doldrums into unprecedented heights, but early on, Bidauld (1758-1846) was one of the few who devoted themselves to its pursuit. He was celebrated in his time; in 1823 he became the first landscape painter elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. We'll see him later in the decade of the 18-oughts. Meanwhile, here are a few of his earlier works.

 The Augustan bridge on the Nera river, near the town of Narni, Italy (1790)

 View of Bridge and the Town of Cava, Kingdom of Naples (1785-90)

Vue du lac d'Ermenonville