Harpignies turned to art at the age of 27, studying and painting in Italy and France and coming more and more under the influence of Corot. Distinguished by constructive drawing and breadth of treatment, his landscapes are pervaded by a silvery tone. He scored his first great success at the Paris Salon of 1861 and afterward was a regular exhibitor, receiving his first medal in 1886 for “Evening in the Roman Campagna,” chosen for the Luxembourg Gallery, Paris. Many of his best works were painted in the Bourbonnais, Nivernais, and Auvergne regions of France.