Impressionist scene of a woman in a cave. Oil on canvas 24 x 20 in. Barbizon school. Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pena was born to Spanish emigrant parents on August 20, 1807 in Bordeaux. His artistic training began as a porcelain painter and he studied briefly with the artist Souchon. His early paintings catered to the popular taste for 18th century style Rococo and resulted in financial success for the young artist.Though figure painting would always remain important for Diaz, it is his landscapes of the 1850's and 1860's, particularly of Fontainebleau Forest for which the artist is most remembered. Recognized as a superb colorist in his own day, his forest interiors are richly painted with warm browns, oranges, golds and silvery tree trunks and branches. Though the artist often applied paint loosely with a broad palette knife, his observation of nature was nevertheless keen. A regular exhibitor at the Salon, in 1848 Diaz won a first-class medal, and in 1881 he received the Legion d'honneur. Diaz's financial success enabled him to lend a helping hand to his friends when in need, including Troyon, Rousseau, and Millet. The artist died at Menton on November 18, 1876.

Needs some restoration, some paint loss. Needs to be cleaned