Corot has been considered many things: a precursor of Impressionism, with his sophisticated plays of light; a Romantic for his lyrical landscapes; a Realist, since he painted directly from nature. His devotion to nature brought him close to the Realists, and his sensitive studies of light and shade, often painted in the open air, and the freedom of his brushwork has a marked influence on the Impressonists. There is more to Corot than landscape - his poetic evocation of classical myth, the sensuos charm of his portraits of women and his dream-like vision of women. This study of Corot includes extracts from journals and newpapers.