A sweeping exhibition near Udine is looking at the spread of 19th-century realism from France across central and eastern Europe. Villa Manin in the northeastern town of Coidropo is hosting nearly 130 masterpieces from the 1800s, focusing on the so-called Barbizon school of painters, their impact abroad, and their contribution to early Impressionism.

The exhibition brings together works from around 20 of Europe's most prestigious museums, to explore the impact of the Barbizon school on artists from various countries and their ties with France. Rather than exhibiting the paintings nation by nation, the curators have categorized the works into three broad themes: 'Woods, Countryside, Homes', 'Waters' and 'Portraits and Figures'. Inspired by the rural scenes of British painter John Constable, the Barbizon group of artists - named after the northern village of Barbizon, where they gathered - drew inspiration directly from nature. Breaking with a long-running Romantic trend, they instead opted for realism. Their passion for the outdoors shifted nature from a mere backdrop for dramatic works into a subject matter in its own right, with depictions of the woods, fields and farmsteads of northern France.

Jean-François Millet then extended the idea from landscape to figures, with paintings of peasants and field workers. The exhibition features work by the range of Barbizon artists, from first-generation 'founders', such as Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Charles-Francois Daubign and Narcisse Virgilio Diaz de la Pena, through to the movement's younger stars, including Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro. Alongside the paintings of classic French artists are the works of other Europeans working in the same tradition, many of whom spent time in Barbizon. Paintings by Romania's Nicolae Grigorescu and Ion Andreescu, Russia's Alexey Petrovich Bogolyubov, Poland's Jozef Chelmonski and Czech artist Antonin Chittussi are among the works on display in the first two sections.

The final part, which looks at the human form and portraiture, takes inspiration from Millet and Vincent Van Gogh, before venturing further afield with pieces by Poland's Henryk Rodakowski, Hungary's Bertalan Szekely and Fernand Khnopff of Belgium. 'L'Eta di Courbet e Monet' (The Age of Courbet and Monet) runs at Villa Manin until March 7.