A student of Bertin and Natoire, Desfriches made his drawings from nature, embellishing his landscapes with figures. His work shows a clear influence of the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century, such as van Goyen and Ruisdael.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts of the City of Orléans was originally established during the French Revolution to house the collections of Desfriches, and those of the painter, Jean Bardin.