Jules Ernest Renoux
Encyclopedia
Jules Alphonse Ernest Renoux (5 May 1863 – 9 June 1932) was a French painter working during the height of French Impressionism and the Belle Epoque
.
of 1870. A student of Jean-Léon Gérôme
and Alfred Philippe Roll
, Renoux studied at the École des Beaux-Arts
and collaborated with Roll on the painted ceilings of the Hôtel de Viller, the Sorbonne
and the Petit Palais
.
Count de Zogheb, a well-known personality of the Belle Epoque, commissioned Renoux to paint his portrait, which was shown in the Salon of 1901. Count de Zogheb subsequently purchased many other paintings; this association earned Renoux two medals, the Imperial Order of Medjidieh and the Cross of the Knights of the Portuguese Military Order of Christ
(which, with typical modesty, he never wore). A later patron was the industrialist Auguste Magnère, an amateur artist whom Renoux tutored.
Renoux exhibited in the Paris gallery of Georges Bernheim in 1916, and the public reception was an encouraging success, resulting in the sale of twelve paintings. From 1922 Renoux exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais where he became a member. Ten of Renoux's paintings are on permanent display at the Petit Palais
, Musée des Beaux Arts de la ville de Paris.
in 2009 and are now in the Petit Palais
.
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
.
Training and career
Renoux was the son of Jules Alphonse Renoux and Ernestine Veron. He showed early a talent for drawing and was still young when he went to live in Paris with his mother; her husband had abandoned her and had gone off to fight as a volunteer in the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870. A student of Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academicism. The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits and other subjects, bringing the Academic painting tradition to an artistic climax.-Life:Jean-Léon Gérôme was born...
and Alfred Philippe Roll
Alfred Philippe Roll
Alfred Philippe Roll was a French painter.- Career :Roll studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he was taught by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Henri-Joseph Harpignies, Charles-François Daubigny and Léon Bonnat. He painted his first landscape in 1869, and in 1870 exhibited "Environs of Baccarat" and "Evening"...
, Renoux studied at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
and collaborated with Roll on the painted ceilings of the Hôtel de Viller, the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and the Petit Palais
Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is a museum in Paris, France. Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 to Charles Girault's designs, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts ....
.
Count de Zogheb, a well-known personality of the Belle Epoque, commissioned Renoux to paint his portrait, which was shown in the Salon of 1901. Count de Zogheb subsequently purchased many other paintings; this association earned Renoux two medals, the Imperial Order of Medjidieh and the Cross of the Knights of the Portuguese Military Order of Christ
Order of Christ (Portugal)
The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
(which, with typical modesty, he never wore). A later patron was the industrialist Auguste Magnère, an amateur artist whom Renoux tutored.
Renoux exhibited in the Paris gallery of Georges Bernheim in 1916, and the public reception was an encouraging success, resulting in the sale of twelve paintings. From 1922 Renoux exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais where he became a member. Ten of Renoux's paintings are on permanent display at the Petit Palais
Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is a museum in Paris, France. Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 to Charles Girault's designs, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts ....
, Musée des Beaux Arts de la ville de Paris.
Style
Renoux employed a palette based in yellow-orange and ochre in which he painted street scenes admired for their understated beauty and agility of hand. Renoux liked painting the human form, frequently with members of his family as sitters. But he was shy and disliked sketching in the open streets. He often chose some obscure corner from which to draw, which explains the interesting and unusual perspective of some of his paintings. As The Times of London wrote, "He might in the broad sense of the term be called Impressionist, being concerned with the open-air effect, taking particular pleasure in the dapple of sunlight on tree shaded avenues. Accurate in perspective, he used it with an eye to pictorial value and showed particular skill in placing his vividly sketched figures at varying distances from the spectator."Personal life
Renoux married Berthe Madeleine in 1895, although his mother opposed the marriage on financial grounds. His wife was a frequent model.Renoux Museum and exhibition
Romeny-sur-Marne has a museum dedicated to Renoux’s life and work, la Maison Renoux, where his studio, in the center of his garden, has been preserved. A stèle and plaque, place de l'Église, are dedicated to his memory. Renoux traveled frequently to Romeny-sur-Marne and settled there permanently after losing his studio in Paris, 50, rue Saint-Didier, in 1928. He is buried in the village cemetery of Romeny-sur-Marne. Renoux's sun umbrella, stool, paint box, and transport case for works-in-progress were displayed at an impressionism exhibit at the AlbertinaAlbertina
The Albertina is a museum in Vienna, Austria, containing the world's best collection of old master prints and drawings.Albertina, a feminine adjectival form of Albert , may also refer to:...
in 2009 and are now in the Petit Palais
Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is a museum in Paris, France. Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 to Charles Girault's designs, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts ....
.
Exhibitions
- 1890 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1892 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1896 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1898 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1899 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1900 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1902 Salon National des Beaux-Arts
- 1901 Galerie Potin, Paris
- 1916 Galerie Bernheim, Paris
- 1917 Sporting Club of Monte Carlo
- 1929 Galerie Santi, Douai
- 1934 Galerie Ecalle, Retrospective Exhibition
- 1936 Galerie Ecalle, Retrospective Exhibition
- 1963 Galerie O. Bosc, Centenary Exhibition
- 1965 Kaplan Gallery, London
- 1966 Hammer Gallery, New York
- 1967 Kaplan Gallery, London
- 1968 Kaplan Gallery, London