Interpretive Resource

Frédéric Bazille
French, 1841-1870
Like his friends and fellow students at the studio of Charles Gleyre, Bazille preferred strongly modeled forms and bright, clear colors. He shared a particularly close relationship with Claude Monet with whom he painted out-of-doors and took occasional vacations.

Bazille, who had a comfortable allowance from his family, was able to help other young impressionist artists who were often in dire financial straits. Monet and Auguste Renoir shared his studio when they could not afford their own. Bazille also bought paintings from his friends.

Bazille volunteered for service when the Franco-Prussian War broke out in July 1870. He was killed a few months later. During his short career he produced about sixty paintings that survive today. Bazille is less well known than many of his contemporaries, in part because his family retained most of his work for many years.