Jules Joseph Lefebvre
Encyclopedia
Jules Joseph Lefebvre (Tournan-en-Brie
, Seine-et-Marne
, 14 March 1836 – Paris, 24 February 1911) was a French figure painter
.
Lefebvre entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
in 1852 and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet
. He won the prestigious Prix de Rome
in 1861. Between 1855 and 1898, he exhibited 72 portraits in the Paris Salon. In 1891, he became a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts
.
He was an instructor at the Académie Julian
in Paris. Lefebvre is chiefly important as an excellent and sympathetic teacher who numbered many Americans among his 1500 or more pupils. Among his famous students were Fernand Khnopff
, Kenyon Cox
, Félix Vallotton
, Georges Rochegrosse
, the Scottish-born landscape painter William Hart
, and Edmund C. Tarbell
, who became an American Impressionist
painter. He was long a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts
.
Many of his paintings are single figures of beautiful women. Among his best portraits were those of M. L. Reynaud and the Prince Imperial (1874).
Tournan-en-Brie
Tournan-en-Brie, or simply Tournan, is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the Paris metropolitan area.-Transportation:Tournan is the terminus...
, Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
, 14 March 1836 – Paris, 24 February 1911) was a French figure painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Lefebvre entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
in 1852 and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet
Léon Cogniet
Léon Cogniet was a French historical and portrait painter.- Biography :Cogniet was born in Paris. In 1812, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Pierre-Narcisse Guérin at the same time as Delacroix and Géricault. In 1817 he won the Prix de Rome and was a resident at...
. He won the prestigious Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
in 1861. Between 1855 and 1898, he exhibited 72 portraits in the Paris Salon. In 1891, he became a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts
Académie des beaux-arts
The Académie des Beaux-Arts is a French learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:* Académie de peinture et de sculpture...
.
He was an instructor at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris. Lefebvre is chiefly important as an excellent and sympathetic teacher who numbered many Americans among his 1500 or more pupils. Among his famous students were Fernand Khnopff
Fernand Khnopff
Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff as a Belgian symbolist painter.- Youth and Training :...
, Kenyon Cox
Kenyon Cox
Kenyon Cox was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, writer, and teacher. Cox was an influential and important early instructor at the Art Students League of New York...
, Félix Vallotton
Félix Vallotton
Félix Edouard Vallotton was a Swiss painter and printmaker associated with Les Nabis. He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut.-Life and work:...
, Georges Rochegrosse
Georges Rochegrosse
Georges Antoine Rochegrosse was a French historical and decorative painter.He was born at Versailles and studied in Paris with Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger. His themes are generally historical, and he treated them on a colossal scale and in an emotional...
, the Scottish-born landscape painter William Hart
William Hart (painter)
William Hart , was a Scottish-born American landscape and cattle painter, and Hudson River School artist. His younger brother, James McDougal Hart, was also a Hudson River School artist, and the two painted similar subjects...
, and Edmund C. Tarbell
Edmund C. Tarbell
Edmund Charles Tarbell was an American Impressionist painter. He was a member of the Ten American Painters...
, who became an American Impressionist
American Impressionism
Impressionism, a style of painting characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors, was practiced widely among American artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-An emerging artistic style from Paris:...
painter. He was long a professor 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,...
.
Many of his paintings are single figures of beautiful women. Among his best portraits were those of M. L. Reynaud and the Prince Imperial (1874).
Significant milestones
- 1853 Student at the École des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-ArtsÉcole 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,...
- 1859 Second place Prix de RomePrix de RomeThe Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
- 1861 His Death of Priam wins the Prix de Rome
- 1870 Académie JulianAcadémie JulianThe Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
professor - 1870 Légion d'Honneur, Officer, named Commander from 1898
- 1891 Member of the Académie des Beaux-ArtsAcadémie des beaux-artsThe Académie des Beaux-Arts is a French learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:* Académie de peinture et de sculpture...
Selected works
- 1861 The Death of Priam (Won the Prix de RomePrix de RomeThe Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
) - 1861 Diva Vittoria Colonna
- 1863 Boy Painting a Tragic Mask
- 1864 Roman Charity
- 1865 Portrait d'Antonio, modèle italien
- 1866 Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi
- 1868 Reclining Nude, Musée d'OrsayMusée d'OrsayThe Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
. - 1869 Le Reveil de Diane
- 1869 Portrait of Alexandre Dumas
- 1870 La Vérité (The Truth)
- 1870s Jeune femme à la mandoline (Girl with a Mandolin)
- 1870 Portrait du Prince Impérial
- 1872 Pandora
- 1872 La Cigale, National Gallery of VictoriaNational Gallery of VictoriaThe National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
- 1874 Odalisque
- 1874 Slave Carrying Fruit (Ghent Museum)
- 1874 Portrait of Eugene Louis Napoleon Bonaparte
- 1875 Chloé, Young & Jackson pub, Melbourne
- 1876 Mary Magdalene in the Grotto, Hermitage MuseumHermitage MuseumThe State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
, Saint Petersburg - 1877 Pandora
- 1878 Mignon, Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York - 1878 Graziella, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- 1879 Diana
- 1879 Diana Surprised, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires
- 1880 Portrait of Julia Foster Ward
- 1881 La Fiametta from Giovanni BoccaccioGiovanni BoccaccioGiovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
- 1882 Pandora (II)
- 1882 Japonaise (A Japanese)
- 1883 Psyche
- 1884 The Feathered Fan
- 1884 Portrait of Edna Barger, private collection
- 1890 Lady Godiva
- 1890 Ophelia
- 1892 A Daughter of Eve
- 1896 Portrait of a Lady (II)
- 1898 Amor beim Schärfen seiner Pfeile (Love sharpening its arrows)
- 1901 Alexander Agassiz
- 1901 Yvonne (formerly Musée du Luxembourg), Portrait of Lefebvre's daughter
Undated works
- Clemence Isaure
- La Fiancée (The Fiancée)
- Woman with an Orange
- Nymph with Morning Glory Flowers
- Fleurs des Champs
- L'amour Blesse (Wounded Love)
- Mediterranean Beauty
- Portrait of a Lady
- Portrait of a Woman
- Young Woman with Morning Glories in Her Hair
External links
- TheARTwerx – Lefebvre Gallery Comprehensive archive of 141 images
- www.Jules-Joseph-Lefebvre.org 42 images by Jules Joseph Lefebvre
- Art Renewal Centre – Lefebvre Gallery