After impressionism inventing modern art

So close was Jean-François Millet to the humble peasants he painted that he wore clogs and coarse clothing. He was steeped in nostalgia, yet inspired avant-garde artists from van Gogh to Salvador Dalí, finds Mary Miers

The story of England’s forgotten French art school

Icy blasts from the north have inspired French artists, writers and scientists

Zola’s vivid characters blew his theories off course

“GREAT THINGS ARE NOT DONE BY IMPULSE, but by a series of small things brought together.” These are the words of Vincent van Gogh but also reflect the philosophy of renowned German contemporary artist

JEAN-FRANÇOIS MILLET ONCE SAID, “I am a peasant amongst peasants.” It summarised the French painter’s empathy with rural communities working on the land. They became the subjects of his remarkable dra