In the early 19th century the French "Art Establishment" had become very formalized following the tradition of Jacques-Louis David. Out of this grew the Romantic Movement as exemplified by Gericault, Bonington and Delacroix.
In 1824 the Paris Salon exhibited some of the works of Constable and his rural scenes had a great influence on some fo the younger artist of the time leading them to abandon formalism and draw their inspiration directly from nature. Natural scenes were to become the subject of their paintings rather than a mere backdrop to some dramatic event.
During the Revolution of 1848 the group mentioned above gathered at the village of Barbizon to deliberately follow Constables ideas, to make nature itself the subject of their paintings. One of the Francois Millet extended the idea from landscape to figures, peasant figures, scenes of peasant life and work in the fields. "The Gleaners", 1857, is an example of this; three peasant women working at the harvest. There is no drama and no story told, merely three peasant women in a field.
Both Rousseau (1867) and Millet (1875) died at Barbizon.
See also Gustave Courbet