A Genre Scene

Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli was a French painter of the Pre-Impressionist generation whose work is notable for its rich colours, texture, and romantic atmosphere. He was born into modest circumstances in Marseille, where he later settled. He received part of his artistic education in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts under Paul Delaroche.

In Fontainebleau, he met Narcissus Díaz de la Peña of the Barbizon School, and this encounter influenced his approach to painting. His work drew inspiration from the mastery of Eugène Delacroix and Antoine Watteau. Monticelli developed his distinctive style, combining thick layers of paint with the effect of glaze, thus achieving a shimmering, vibrant canvas surface. His work influenced a younger generation of painters, especially Paul Cézanne, with whom he collaborated in the 1870s. Monticelli's paintings, full of light, colour, and fantasy, fascinate today with their unique expressiveness and are considered a precursor to modern painting.