Enchanted by the play of light and reflections which transformed the appearance of matter, Riesener began a new aesthetic that made him one of the precursors of impressionism.

He researched the subject of life in the countryside and, liking to paint reality, said he wanted to express "the heat of the day, the melancholy of the evening, meadows, flowers as they are in nature".

Passionate about beauty and researching new techniques in colour, Riesener struggled against the prevailing taste of his time from his youth onwards.

Delacroix quickly recognised Riesener's talent and originality and he supported his early career by recommending him to civil servants he knew.

So different in life and character and so independent, they were preoccupied by the same artistic problems and enjoyed exchanging ideas, both having been formed by the 18th century and its neo-classical culture.

From 1839 to 1848 he received important mural commissions – the five ceilings of the library of the Chambre des Pairs (1840–1843) and the decoration of the chapel of the hospital at Charenton (1843–1849).

Riesener's main Normandy period came in 1857, however, that year, feeling a need for solitude and new impressions, he bought a mill at Beuzeval, a town later re-attached to Houlgate.

His stays at Beuzeval produced a series of works on solar effects, seascapes, sunken lanes and open-air landscapes.

He explored the rocky coast nearby with his friends Constant Troyon and Huet and talked about art and literature with Jouvet, Delisle and Jules Paton.

On his death, the Impressionists paid tribute to him as the forerunner of their movement – Auguste Renoir drew a portrait of him "carried off in a whirlwind of nude bacchantes and flowers" (evoking one of the features of Riesener's art) for the frontispiece of la Vie moderne (17 April 1879).

As for Duranty, after evoking "this ardent companion of all seekers and of all innovators" and "the precursor of the family that came later", he stated his conviction that "in the history of painting of this era, his name remains inscribed with the beautiful, delicate and strong colours of his palette".

The most important public collection of his works is that at the château de Saint-Germain-de-Livet, owned by the commune of Lisieux after being left to it by his grandson Julien Pillaut.