Armand Guillaumin’s career began with his enrollment in the Académie Suisse, where he befriended artists Camille Pissarro and Paul Cézanne. He was a founding member of the impressionists, participating in their inaugural exhibition of 1874. During his Paris years, Guillaumin and Vincent van Gogh began an enduring friendship characterized by mutual admiration and respect. An unexpected lottery win in 1891 allowed Guillaumin to devote himself to painting. The artist practiced plein air painting (outdoors) and often focused on capturing the changing light of the day.