The French painter Henri Fantin-Latour, became particularly famous for his floral still lifes. Later, the various group portraits he made of his fellow painters and other prominent artists of his time also attracted particular attention. These include works such as "Hommage à Delacroix" and "Un atelier aux Batignolles", in which he portrayed his good friend Édouard Manet painting surrounded by his colleagues. Although Fantin-Latour was friends with impressionists such as Edouard Manet or Edgar Degas, his works were more in keeping with the academic model. And unlike many of his impressionist colleagues, such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Fantin-Latour rarely painted in the open air and preferred to stay in his studio.
His distinctive technique, which is particularly evident in his still lifes such as "Panier des roses", was trained at a young age. His father, the famous portrait painter Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour, taught him already at the age of about 10 years. At the age of 14 he was accepted at the Ecole Dessin by Lecoq de Boisbaurdan. He attended it for another 4 years and learned from Boisbaurdan to train his visual memory in particular. From 1854 he was allowed to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. Fantin-Latour later trained his powers of observation and mature technique by making copies of the old masters in the Louvre, like many artists of his time. He was particularly enthusiastic about the works of Tizian and Paolo Veronese. At first Fantin-Latour strove to become known as a portrait painter like his father. Therefore he submitted his first portrait for the Paris Salon in 1859, but was rejected. Disappointed by the result, he henceforth devoted himself to still lifes. With these he achieved his breakthrough. He knew how to paint with a detailed painting, paying attention to every single petal. His paintings were especially popular in England. This was not least due to the influence of his friend James McNeill Whistler. Through him and Alphonse Legros he got to know the English artist scene. His popularity in Great Britain was so great that many of his still lifes were sold directly there.
Fantin-Latour earned most of his living with still lifes. He never gave up portraiture. He was one of the few artists who was able to exhibit both in the Paris Salon and in the so-called Salon des Refusés, a counter-exhibition to the spurned works of the Paris Salon. In 1862, together with Edouard Manet, James McNeill Whistler, Alphonse Legros, Barthold Jongkind and several other artists, he founded an artists' association for the promotion of the art of etching. In his late artistic phase, he increasingly focused on lithography. Like many artists of his time, he was inspired by Wagner's opera pieces. Fantin-Latour married the French painter Victoria Dubourg in 1876. Like her husband, she painted flower still lifes. The couple spent much time on the artist's parental country estate in Normandy, where Fantin-Latour finally died in 1904.
The French painter Henri Fantin-Latour, became particularly famous for his floral still lifes. Later, the various group portraits he made of his fellow painters and other prominent artists of his time also attracted particular attention. These include works such as "Hommage à Delacroix" and "Un atelier aux Batignolles", in which he portrayed his good friend Édouard Manet painting surrounded by his colleagues. Although Fantin-Latour was friends with impressionists such as Edouard Manet or Edgar Degas, his works were more in keeping with the academic model. And unlike many of his impressionist colleagues, such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Fantin-Latour rarely painted in the open air and preferred to stay in his studio.
His distinctive technique, which is particularly evident in his still lifes such as "Panier des roses", was trained at a young age. His father, the famous portrait painter Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour, taught him already at the age of about 10 years. At the age of 14 he was accepted at the Ecole Dessin by Lecoq de Boisbaurdan. He attended it for another 4 years and learned from Boisbaurdan to train his visual memory in particular. From 1854 he was allowed to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. Fantin-Latour later trained his powers of observation and mature technique by making copies of the old masters in the Louvre, like many artists of his time. He was particularly enthusiastic about the works of Tizian and Paolo Veronese. At first Fantin-Latour strove to become known as a portrait painter like his father. Therefore he submitted his first portrait for the Paris Salon in 1859, but was rejected. Disappointed by the result, he henceforth devoted himself to still lifes. With these he achieved his breakthrough. He knew how to paint with a detailed painting, paying attention to every single petal. His paintings were especially popular in England. This was not least due to the influence of his friend James McNeill Whistler. Through him and Alphonse Legros he got to know the English artist scene. His popularity in Great Britain was so great that many of his still lifes were sold directly there.
Fantin-Latour earned most of his living with still lifes. He never gave up portraiture. He was one of the few artists who was able to exhibit both in the Paris Salon and in the so-called Salon des Refusés, a counter-exhibition to the spurned works of the Paris Salon. In 1862, together with Edouard Manet, James McNeill Whistler, Alphonse Legros, Barthold Jongkind and several other artists, he founded an artists' association for the promotion of the art of etching. In his late artistic phase, he increasingly focused on lithography. Like many artists of his time, he was inspired by Wagner's opera pieces. Fantin-Latour married the French painter Victoria Dubourg in 1876. Like her husband, she painted flower still lifes. The couple spent much time on the artist's parental country estate in Normandy, where Fantin-Latour finally died in 1904.
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