Paris, a source of inspiration for artists.
Paris has always been a source of inspiration for artists, but their interest in Parisian life really became manifest in the second half of the 19th century.
The renovations undertaken by Baron Haussmann during the Second Empire modernised the capital which became the focus of all interest including that of the Impressionists, who begun to practise real-life painting and were amongst the first to capture the colours and lights of Paris on canvass.