Born in Paris, Guillaumin is celebrated for his landscapes of the of Île-de-France, such as the present. The artist first studies at the Académie Suisse, where he met Pissarro and Cézanne. Soon after he exhibited at the first Impressionist group exhibition in 1874 and then in six of the eight Impressionist shows thereafter.

1885 was a pivotal moment for Guillaumin as the Impressionists each began to chose different artistic paths. For Guillaumin, his work started to prioritise colour over light, leading him to change the time of day in which he painted. Previously he had worked at midday resulting in his work being dominated by yellow-blue contrast, but now he began to paint in the early morning or evening, resulting in a more red and green palette.

‘Paysage d'ile de France’ displays Guillaumin’s distinct predilection for choosing landscapes dominated by strong colours. His varied brushstrokes; short, distinct dashes on the brickwork and looser, broader rich strokes in the sky and ground add a sense of movement and new freedom to his work. His work from this period heralds the movement towards Post-Impressionism.

Guillaumin’s landscapes from 1885 are held in a number of public museums internationally including Musée du Petit Palais, Paris (‘The Road to the Valley’), Seattle Art Museum (‘Essence of Spring, Chebreuse Valley’) and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (‘The Road of Damiette’).