Face au ciel : Paul Huet en son temps
Auteur(s) : Collectif
Exhibition at the Musée de la Vie Romantique, Paris, 14 February – 30 August 2026
Still relatively unknown to the general public, Paul Huet (1803–1869) is often considered one of the precursors of Romantic landscape painting in France. Inspired by English masters such as Constable and Turner, he expressed the emotions and power of nature in his works, breaking with classical tradition. His landscapes, often turbulent, capture dramatic natural scenes such as storms, deep forests and mysterious ruins, but also more peaceful and poetic moments. His skies, whether tranquil or turbulent, reflect the movement of clouds, the variations in light and air, and the mysteries of the night.
More discreet and less famous than his contemporaries, Paul Huet, described as a ‘pre-Impressionist’, nevertheless left his mark on his era and influenced many landscape artists such as Camille Corot and Claude Monet. His work and his experience of painting skies are compared with those of his contemporaries in order to better appreciate his uniqueness and his role in this prolific era. His skies are thus presented alongside those of Paul Flandrin, Eugène Delacroix, Théodore Rousseau, Georges Michel, Eugène Isabey and Gustave Courbet.
