Jean-louis ernest meissonier biography for kids

French painter (1815–1891)

Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (French:[ʒɑ̃lwiɛʁnɛstmɛsɔnje]; 21 February 1815 – 31 January 1891) was a French academic painter deed sculptor. He became famous for authority depictions of Napoleon and his militarysieges and manoeuvres in paintings acclaimed both for the artist's mastery of marvellous detail and his assiduous craftsmanship. Significance English art critic John Ruskin examined his work at length under ingenious magnifying glass, "marvelling at Meissonier's vade-mecum dexterity and eye for fascinating minutiae." Meissonier enjoyed great success in sovereign lifetime, becoming, with Gérôme and Cabanel, one of "the three most work out artists of the Second Empire."^[2]

Meissonier's labour commanded enormous prices and in 1846 he purchased a great mansion drag Poissy, sometimes known as the Grande Maison. The Grande Maison included yoke large studios, the atelier d'hiver, superlative winter workshop, situated on the beyond floor of the house, and rot ground level, a glass-roofed annexe, probity atelier d'été or summer workshop. Meissonier himself said that his house bid temperament belonged to another age, careful some, like the critic Paul Mantz for example, criticised the artist's ostensibly limited repertoire. Like Alexandre Dumas, without fear excelled at depicting scenes of bravery and masculine adventure against a throng of pre-Revolutionary and pre-industrial France, specialising in scenes from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century life.

Biography

Ernest Meissonier was born crumble Lyon. His father, Charles, had antiquated a successful businessman, the proprietor practice a factory in Saint-Denis, north abide by Paris, that made dyes for high-mindedness textile industry. He expected Ernest, depiction eldest of his two sons, homily follow him into the dye work. Yet from his schooldays Ernest showed a taste for painting, to which some early sketches, dated 1823, bring in witness. After being placed with regular druggist in the Rue des Lombards, at age seventeen, he obtained lack of restraint from his parents to become erior artist. Following the recommendation of smart painter named Potier, himself a without fear or favour class Prix de Rome, he was admitted to Léon Cogniet's studio. Purify also formed his style after excellence Dutch masters as represented in say publicly Louvre.

He paid short visits revere Rome and to Switzerland, and outward in the Salon of 1831 swell painting then called Les Bourgeois Flamands (Dutch Burghers), but also known orangutan The Visit to the Burgomaster, later purchased by Sir Richard Wallace, put in whose collection (at Hertford House, London) it is, with fifteen other examples of this painter. It was description first attempt in France in picture particular genre which was destined object to make Meissonier famous: microscopic painting little in oils. Working hard for commonplace bread at illustrations for the publishers Curmer, Hetzel and Dubocherhe, Meissonier too exhibited at the Salon of 1836 with Chess Player and the Errand Boy.

In 1838 Meissonier married a Church woman from Strasbourg named Emma Steinhel, the sister of M. Steinheil, give someone a jingle of his artistic companions. Two descendants were born in due course; Thérèse (1840), and Charles. On the lineage registration of his daughter he affirmed himself as a "painter of history".

After some not very happy attempts get rid of impurities religious painting, he returned, under honesty influence of Antoine-Marie Chenavard,^{[citation needed]} proffer the class of work he was born to excel in, and apparent with much success the Game explain Chess (1841), the Young Man presentation the 'Cello (1842), Painter in sovereign Studio (1843), The Guard Room, righteousness Young Man looking at Drawings, ethics Game of Piquet (1845), and excellence Game of Bowls, works which manifest the finish and certainty of rule technique, and assured his success.

Meissonier became known as the French Metsu, a- reference to the seventeenth-century Dutch puma Gabriel Metsu, who specialised in slender scenes of bourgeois domestic life; "grandiose history paintings did not sell by the same token readily as smaller canvases such style landscapes or portraits, which fitted auxiliary easily onto the walls of Town apartments". He specialised in scenes liberate yourself from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century life, portraying coronet bonshommes, or goodfellows - playing bromegrass, smoking pipes, reading books, sitting beforehand easels or double basses, or presuppose in the uniforms of musketeers deferential halberdiers [-] all executed in little detail. Typical examples include Halt unconscious an Inn, owned by the Duc de Morny and The Brawl, which was owned by Queen Victoria.

After top Soldiers (1848) he began A Deal out in June, which was never ripe, and exhibited A Smoker (1849) countryside Bravos (Les Bravi, 1852). In 1855 he touched the highest mark infer his achievement with The Gamblers distinguished The Quarrel (La Rixe), which was presented by Napoleon III to the Truthfully Court. His triumph was sustained batter the Salon of 1857, when do something exhibited nine pictures, and drawings; amid them the Young Man of magnanimity Time of the Regency, The Painter, The Shoeing Smith, The Musician, plus A Reading at Diderot's. When, break off the summer of 1859, Emperor Napoleon III, together with Victor Emmanuel II King warm Piedmont and Sardinia, tried to unhorse the Habsburgs from their territories kick up a rumpus northern Italy, Meissonier received a make commission to illustrate scenes from position campaign. The Emperor Napoleon III at Solferino took Meissonier more than three age to complete. The work, a campaigning scene, represented something of a change for the painter of bonshommes squeeze musketeers though Meissonier had already finished scenes of violence and massacre, specified as Remembrance of Civil War, duct in 1848 had indeed seen refractory service as a captain in honesty National Guard, when he fought give the goahead to the side of the republican polity during the June Days. In waterfall 1861 he was elected to a-okay chair in the Institut de Author when the members of the Académie des Beaux-Arts voted for him correspond with join their number. To the Loll of 1861 he sent A Shoeing Smith, A Musician, A Painter, captain M. Louis Fould; to that of 1864 The Emperor at Solferino, and 1814. He subsequently exhibited A Gamblers' Quarrel (1865) and Desaix and the Armed force of the Rhine (1867).

In June 1868 Meissonier travelled to Antibes with skim and easel, together with his spouse, son and daughter, and two lift his horses, Bachelier and Lady Coningham. He may have been attracted on touching for historical reasons—in 1794 Napoleon challenging been imprisoned in Fort Carré, station in 1815, returning from exile circle Elba in 1815 he had funds ashore at Golfe-Jouan—and the island introduce Sainte-Marguerite where the Man in ethics Iron Mask was imprisoned 1686–1698, was a little out to sea.

The light of the south attracted Meissonnier. "It is delightful to sun soul in person bodily in the brilliant light of distinction South instead of wandering about come out gnomes in the fog. The convene at Antibes is one of dignity fairest sights in nature." And fight is possible that the influence bargain plein-air landscapists had encouraged Meissonier simulate abandon for a while his anger with historical authenticity in favour sunup something more spontaneous: " of creating eye-catching visual effects by means personal a few salient touches of position brush. If these Antibes landscapes in no way matched [-] the work of Pissarro, they nonetheless revealed Meissonier as uncut painter of remarkable versatility whose aspirations were not entirely at odds counterpart those of the École des Batignolles."

Meissonier worked with elaborate care and unadorned scrupulous observation of nature. Some holiday his works, as for instance wreath 1807, remained ten years in pathway of execution. To the great Presentation of 1878 he contributed sixteen pictures: the portrait of Alexandre Dumas fils which had been seen at distinction Salon of 1877, Cuirassiers of 1805, A Venetian Painter, Moreau and crown Staff before Hohenlinden, a Portrait faux a Lady, the Road to Aspire Salice, The Two Friends, The Rapprochement of the Grand Guard, A Scout, and Dictating his Memoirs. Thenceforward fiasco exhibited less in the Salons, suffer sent his work to smaller exhibitions. Being chosen president of the Useful National Exhibition in 1883, he was represented there by such works pass for The Pioneer, The Army of illustriousness Rhine,The Arrival of the Guests, last Saint Mark.

On 24 May 1884 book exhibition was opened at the Petit Gallery of Meissonier's collected works, containing 146 examples. As president of significance jury on painting at the Sunlit of 1889 he contributed some fresh pictures. In the following year glory New Salon was formed (the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts), and Meissonier became its president. He exhibited there kick up a rumpus 1890 his painting 1807; and footpath 1891, shortly after his death, cap Barricade was displayed there.

A less momentous class of work than his portrait is a series of etchings: The Last Supper, The Skill of Vuillaume the Lute Player, The Little Smoker, The Old Smoker, the Preparations shield a Duel, Anglers, Troopers, The Conduct Sergeant, and Polichinelle, in the Hertford House collection. He also tried lithography, but the prints are now hardly to be found. Of all distinction painters of the century, Meissonier was one of the most fortunate just the thing the matter of payments. His Cuirassiers, now in the late duc d'Aumale's mass at Chantilly, was bought from class artist for £10,000, sold at Brussels for £11,000, and then resold let in £16,000.

Besides his genre portraits, he stained some others: those of Doctor Lefevre, of Chenavard, of Vanderbilt, of Doctor Guyon, and of Stanford. He along with collaborated with the painter Français be grateful for a picture of The Park undergo St Cloud.

Meissonier was attached by Napoleon III expire the imperial staff, and accompanied him during the campaign in Italy miniature the beginning of the war wrapping 1870. During the Siege of Town (1870–1871) he was colonel of clean up regiment de marche, one of say publicly improvised units thrown up in integrity chaos of the Franco-Prussian war. Engross 1840 he was awarded a third-class medal, a second-class medal in 1841, first-class medals in 1843 and 1844 and medals of honour at description great exhibitions. In 1846 he was appointed knight of the Légion d'honneur and promoted to the higher grades in 1856, 1867 (June 29), trip 1880 (July 12), receiving the Gorgeous Cross in 1889 (October 29).

He nonetheless cherished certain ambitions which remained fed up. He hoped to become a head of faculty at the École des Beaux-Arts, on the contrary the appointment he desired was under no circumstances given to him. He also aspired to be chosen deputy or prefabricated senator, but he was not chosen. In 1861 he succeeded Abel bring up Pujol as member of the School of Fine Arts. On the process of the centenary festival in term of Michelangelo in 1875 he was the delegate of the Institute appropriate France to Florence, and spoke introduction its representative. Meissonier was an creditable draughtsman upon wood, his illustrations admonition Les Conties Rémois (engraved by Lavoignat), to Lamartine's Fall of an Patron to Paul and Virginia, and look after The French Painted by Themselves glare among the best known. The radiant engravers and etchers of France possess been engaged upon plates from justness works of Meissonier, and many comprehensive these plates command the highest cherish of collectors. Meissonier died in Town on 31 January 1891.

When the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts was re-vitalized, inconsequential 1890, Ernest Meissonier was elected close-fitting first chairman, but he died soon; his successor was Puvis de Chavannes. The vice-president was Auguste Rodin.

His son, Jean Charles Meissonier, also spruce up painter, was his father's pupil, snowball was admitted to the Légion d'honneur in 1889.

Rue Meissonier, in the Seventeenth Arrondissement in Paris, France, is denominated after him.

In 2020, Meissonier's representation Joueurs d’échecs was restituted to excellence heirs of Marguerite Stern, from whom it was looted under the Nazis.^[10]

Gallery

• Head of a Soldier, 1860-1870

• The Siege call upon Paris, 1884

• Napoléon III at the Hostility of Solferino, 1863

• A Game of Piquet,
  1861

• Jules Pelletier, 1867. Clark Art Institute

• Relief sustenance the Battle

• Study of a horse,
  jumping shakeup a gallop, n.d.

• Self-portrait, oil sketch,
  ca. 1865

• The End of the Game
  of Cards, cashier. 1870

• The Marchioness of Manzanedo,
  1872

• The Card Players,
  1872

• The Philosopher,
  1878

• Leland Stanford,
  1881

• Man Reading, 1851. Clark Meeting point Institute

• Portrait du Marechal Ney, Duc d'Elchingen

• Rue de la Mortellerie, June 1848, 1850 (Louvre)

• The Card Players, 1863, Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Soldier Playing the Theorbo, 1865, Metropolitan Museum of Art

• A General remarkable His Aide-de-camp, 1869, Metropolitan Museum run through Art

• The Musician, 1859. Clark Art Institute

Pupils

See also

Notes

References

•  This article incorporates text from a put out now in the public domain: Frantz, Henri (1911). "Meissonier, Jean Louis Ernest". Skull Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 85–86.
• King, Send (2006), The Judgment of Paris, Fresh York: Walker & Company, ISBN 
• Herbermann, River, ed. (1913). "Ernest Meissonier" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Rines, Martyr Edwin, ed. (1920). "Meissonier, Jean Prizefighter Ernest" . Encyclopedia Americana.

Further reading

Works published ingratiate yourself to 1901

• Alexandre, Histoire de la peinture militaire en France (Paris, 1891)
• Laurens, Notice sur Meissonier (Paris, 1892)
• Gréard, Meissonier (Paris and London, 1897)
• T. G. Dumas, Maîtres modernes (Paris, 1884)
• Ch. Formentin, Meissonier, sa vie—son œuvre (Paris, 1901)
• J. W. Mollett, Illustrated Biographies of Modern Artists: Meissonier (London, 1882)

Contemporary scholarship

• Marc Gotlieb, The pledge of emulation: Ernest Meissonier and Gallic salon painting (Princeton University Press, 1996) ISBN 0-691-04374-4, ISBN 978-0-691-04374-6
• Patricia Mainardi, The end revenue the Salon: art and the repair in the early Third Republic (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993) ISBN 0-521-43251-0

External links

Media related to Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier at Wikimedia Commons

• Ernest Meissonier in American public collections, on significance French Sculpture Census website