On the advice of his doctor, Carpentier left Kuurne in 1879 for the south of France, in order to speed up his recovery.
The following year, on his return, he stopped in Paris, where he met his friend Jan Van Beers.
He was persuaded to move to the French capital, where Van Beers would share his studio with him.
Carpentier began to produce realistic paintings of Parisian bourgeoisie.

In 1881, he was finally able to get rid of his crutches permanently and settled in 71 Boulevard de Clichy.
He then followed his passion of historical painting.
Scenes of the French Revolution, as well as the episodes of the War in the Vendée, became his main sources of inspiration.
Having always had a predilection for dramatic episodes, Carpentier refined his composition skills in the search of better ways to depict the pathetic character of minor historical facts, such as those in "Chouans en déroute" (1883) and "Madame Roland à la prison Sainte-Pélagie" (1886).
His paintings became highly appreciated by the public.

This success constituted, however, an obstacle from his discovery of "plein air" painting.
In this regard, the year 1884 marked a turning point in his career.
Carpentier finally left the conventions of academism and found his true artistic voice.
After discovering the works of Jules Bastien-Lepage, he began to dedicate himself to "plein air" painting, turning to nature through the Realism movement.
He stayed for two seasons principally at Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, near the forest of Fontainebleau, but also at Le Tréport and at Saint-Malo.
On the advice of his doctor, Carpentier left Kuurne in 1879 for the south of France, in order to speed up his recovery. The following year, on his return, he stopped in Paris, where he met his friend Jan Van Beers. He was persuaded to move to the French capital, where Van Beers would share his studio with him. Carpentier began to produce realistic paintings of Parisian bourgeoisie.
In 1881, he was finally able to get rid of his crutches permanently and settled in 71 Boulevard de Clichy. He then followed his passion of historical painting. Scenes of the French Revolution, as well as the episodes of the War in the Vendée, became his main sources of inspiration. Having always had a predilection for dramatic episodes, Carpentier refined his composition skills in the search of better ways to depict the pathetic character of minor historical facts, such as those in "Chouans en déroute" (1883) and "Madame Roland à la prison Sainte-Pélagie" (1886). His paintings became highly appreciated by the public.
This success constituted, however, an obstacle from his discovery of "plein air" painting. In this regard, the year 1884 marked a turning point in his career. Carpentier finally left the conventions of academism and found his true artistic voice. After discovering the works of Jules Bastien-Lepage, he began to dedicate himself to "plein air" painting, turning to nature through the Realism movement. He stayed for two seasons principally at Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, near the forest of Fontainebleau, but also at Le Tréport and at Saint-Malo.
Évariste Carpentier