Little known Impressionist painter Pierre Adolphe Valette was born in St. Etienne, an industrial city in France, and spent much of his career living and working in Manchester, an industrial city in the north of England.

He studied in France at the fine arts school in Bordeaux, and in England took evening classes at the Manchester Municipal School of Art. He joined the staff of the latter institution, and among his pupils was the well known English artist WS Lowry.

Valette was heavily influenced by Monet, but took from him the misty atmospheric colors more typical of the elder artist’s work in London, rather than his brightly dabbed French landscapes.

Vallette became a master of portraying atmospheric perspective and mood, his industrial landscapes are marvels of soft edges and hinted silhouettes.

A new exhibition at The Lowry explores the influence the transplanted French painter had on the English artists around him.

Adolphe Valette: A pioneer of impressionism in Manchester is on view until 29 January, 2012.

There is a book available, Adolphe Valette: A French Influence in Manchester by Sandra Martin, as well as an older title, Adolphe Valette’s Manchester.