A painter, pastellist, and engraver of portraits, genre scenes and landscapes, Norbert Goeneutte is perhaps best known for capturing Parisian scenes of daily life, specializing in his portrayals of women of the city. Goeneutte's 'kinesthetic' style, likened to that of Jean-Francois Rafaelli, captures the activity of Paris streets and people with Impressionistic textures, all the while maintaining nearly photographic compositional integrity and remarkable aesthetic tranquility.

Goeneutte thought his unique painterly approach best fit for Salon exhibitions. Every year from 1876 he exhibited several works in the Paris Salon, such as Sur la Falaise, which was likely painted in 1890.

In 1871, after briefly working as a lawyer's clerk, Norbert Goeneutte entered the studio of Isidore Pils at the École des Beaux-Arts. When Pils died in 1875, Henri Lehmann took over the studio and Goeneutte left, moving to Montmartre. There he met Auguste Renoir, for whom he often modeled, and Marcellin Desboutin, who inspired his interest in engraving, etching and drypoint. Although Goeneutte's work was influenced by Manet, Degas, and Renoir, close friends of the artist, he never exhibited with the Impressionist group. Goeneutte preferred the official Salons, for which he regularly organized painter and engraver exhibitions.

Goeneutte traveled throughout Europe, painting in various locales including London, in 1880, Rotterdam, in 1887, and Venice, in 1890.

He died October 9th, 1894, in Auvers-sur-Oise.

Museum Collections Include:
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Tate Gallery, London; National Gallery, London; Cleveland Museum of Art; Musee d'Arte Moderne, Paris; Pontoise Museum, France; Liege, Paris.

Norbert Goeneutte was a successful artist known for his talents as a printmaker and illustrator. He studied under Isidore Pils at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the early 1870s. Following Pils's death, Goeneutte left to set up his own studio and his work took him beyond Paris to London, Venice, and Rotterdam. He is particularly celebrated for his illustrations for 'La Terre' by Emile Zola. Goeneutte was influenced by the work of Édouard Manet, although Manet declined to take over as a teacher at the École des Beaux-Arts.