Jean Baptiste Camille - Carot (French, 1796 - 1875)
Probably best known for his rendering of "MacBeth and the Witches", Jean Baptiste Camille Carot, acclaimed French landscape and portrait painter and print-maker, Carot was born in Paris, France in 1796. Jean Baptiste Camille-Carot was a wildly momentous figure in landscape painting. who blended elements of Neo-Classical tradition while ushering in early shift moving towards Impressionism, creating a pleasing style that was all his own.
Corot was not a particularly brilliant or notable scholastic achiever and wasn't even recognized for his artistic talents while he was attending school, perhaps because he himself had not yet realized his potential. In fact, Carot didn't even particularity display any interest in art until early adulthood. As a shy, awkward young man, who honored and obeyed his parents, young Corot gained apprenticeship under his father, who was formerly a wig-maker and was now a successful draper (a retailer of fabrics), in early adulthood. He wasn't particularly fond of this profession, but he was materially comfortable and his father was pleased with him, more importantly. He remained a draper until the age of 26 when his father bestowed his blessing on his son to pursue his burgeoning interest in art.
Perhaps the textile industry and its mundane daily routine refined Carot's eyes for fine artistic detail after all. Corot developed an eye for textures and colors under this guise, which appeared to be devoid of creativity even if he was bored. One can speculate that the drudgery awakened a well-polished vision for mastering works of art. Carot begin to actively pursue his landscape oil painting interest immediately prior to the death of his sister in 1822 when he subsequently became adequately financed by his parents to truly embark upon his new career as he was now afforded the ability to rent an adequate studio and procure fine art production materials. In his new rented studio, he honed his craft to subsequently produce some of the most notable pieces of art all time.
Some of Carot's most notable and revered works are: "MacBeth and the Witches"; "Arleux-Palluel, The Bridge of Trysts"; "Le Concert Champêtre"; "Morning. Dance of the Nymphs"; "Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld"; "Souvenir de Mortefontaine"; "Souvenir of the Environs of Lake Nemi"; "The Bridge at Narni"; "The Church of Marissel Near Beauvais"; "Venise, La Piazetta"; and "Ville D'Avray".
Corot continued to produce artistic works throughout his life, producing more than 3,000 pictures during his career. He experimented with photography and printmaking, using a cutting-edge technique called cliché-verre to combine photography and painting. Although a gifted artist and it seems he was a decent human being of means, Carot remained humble and never married, engaging in few long-term romantic relationships with women, preferring to remain a dutiful son to his parents. Corot died in Paris on February 22, 1875, at the age of 78.
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