We embarked on a private tour of the National Gallery of Art to discover 19th Century French paintings. As the century began, the academic style favored by the official Salon in France still dictated the success of artists and public taste. But soon that began to change. Realists turned convention on its head to give heroic character to everyday subjects. Manet scandalized the public with his images of modern life. Impressionists tried to capture fleeting effects of light and atmosphere.