Raphaël Collin
Encyclopedia
Raphaël Collin was born and raised in Paris
, where he became a prominent academic painter and in later life a professor at the Académie des Beaux-Arts
. He is principally known for the links he created between French and Japanese art, in both painting and ceramics
.
where he was at school with Jules Bastien-Lepage
; they became close friends. Collin then went to Paris and studied in the atelier of Bouguereau
and then joined Lepage at Alexandre Cabanel
’s atelier where they both worked alongside Fernand Cormon
, Aimé Morot
and Benjamin Constant. Collin painted still-lives, nudes, portraits and genre pieces, and preferred to render his subjects en plein air
with a clear and luminous palette.
, the Théatre de l'éon, and the Opéra-Comique
. He also provided designs for decorative plates made by Theodore Deck
.
Collin's early work closely followed the essential tenets of French academism. Like the Renaissance painters they admired, the nineteenth-century academicians used historical, religious, or allegorical painting to communicate an idea. Within the parameters of this literary art, Collin made subtle modifications to the accepted academic style, introducing elements of the impressionist technique into his allegorical scenes. Such formal techniques as formal composition and bright color evoked the light filled landscapes of impressionism rather than the dark chiaroscuro of Renaissance painting.
During the last few decades of the nineteenth century, academic painting in France was in crisis, eclipsed by the new artistic movements of impressionism and symbolism. Collin's friendship with members of the impressionists provided him with insights into the new direction contemporary painting was taking. He adapted his work accordingly and in such paintings as Young Woman, he found a compromise between the academic style and the new painterly innovations of the impressionists and the Nabis. Collin began to emphasize the picture surface by reducing the spatial depth of his paintings as well as composing with areas of concentrated color. Yet he never completely abandoned the hallmarks of academicism: allegory and naturalism.
Collin figured prominently in artistic exchanges between Paris and Tokyo
during the late nineteenth century as Kuroda Seiki
, Kume Keiichirō
, and Okada Saburōsuke (1869–1939), among others, studied in his studio and at the Académie Colarossi
, where Collin was associated. Kuroda and Kume, who subsequently assumed professorships at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō), were especially instrumental in introducing to Japan Collin's academic teaching methods as well as the lighter palette, brushwork, and plein air
approach he espoused. This mentorship of the first generation of Japanese oil painters contributed to the special respect he continues to enjoy in Japan.
Collin also illustrated many books, notably Daphnis and Chloé (1890) and Chansons de Bilitis (1906).
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he became a prominent academic painter and in later life a professor at the 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 is principally known for the links he created between French and Japanese art, in both painting and ceramics
Ceramic art
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
.
Early life
Collin studied at the school of Saint-Louis, then went to VerdunVerdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
where he was at school with Jules Bastien-Lepage
Jules Bastien-Lepage
Jules Bastien-Lepage , was a French naturalist painter, a style related to the Realist movement.-Life and work:...
; they became close friends. Collin then went to Paris and studied in the atelier of Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter. William Bouguereau was a traditionalist; in his realistic genre paintings he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body.-Life and career :William-Adolphe...
and then joined Lepage at Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel was a French painter.- Biography :Cabanel was born in Montpellier, Hérault. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter...
’s atelier where they both worked alongside Fernand Cormon
Fernand Cormon
Fernand Cormon was a French painter born in Paris. He became a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin, and Jean-François Portaels, and one of the leading historical painters of modern France....
, Aimé Morot
Aimé Morot
Aimé Morot was a French painter.Morot was born in Nancy, where he studied under a drawing master named Thierry. He later attended the atelier of Alexandre Cabanel in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but left after only two weeks to continue his studies independently...
and Benjamin Constant. Collin painted still-lives, nudes, portraits and genre pieces, and preferred to render his subjects en plein air
En plein air
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism...
with a clear and luminous palette.
Career
Around 1873 he began successfully exhibiting at the Salon. He won a number of prizes that helped launch his career, and before long he was receiving increasingly prestigious commissions to paint large scale murals in major public buildings around Paris, including some of the most prominent cultural centers of Paris: the Hôtel de VilleHôtel de Ville, Paris
The Hôtel de Ville |City Hall]]) in :Paris, France, is the building housing the City of Paris's administration. Standing on the place de l'Hôtel de Ville in the city's IVe arrondissement, it has been the location of the municipality of Paris since 1357...
, the Théatre de l'éon, and the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
. He also provided designs for decorative plates made by Theodore Deck
Théodore Deck
Joseph-Théodore Deck was a 19th-century French potter. Born in Guebwiller, Haut-Rhin, he began learning the trade in his early 20s, moving to Paris at age 24. In 1856 he established his own faience workshop, and began to experiment with the Islamic style of ceramic making, and in particular the...
.
Collin's early work closely followed the essential tenets of French academism. Like the Renaissance painters they admired, the nineteenth-century academicians used historical, religious, or allegorical painting to communicate an idea. Within the parameters of this literary art, Collin made subtle modifications to the accepted academic style, introducing elements of the impressionist technique into his allegorical scenes. Such formal techniques as formal composition and bright color evoked the light filled landscapes of impressionism rather than the dark chiaroscuro of Renaissance painting.
Collin figured prominently in artistic exchanges between Paris and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
during the late nineteenth century as Kuroda Seiki
Kuroda Seiki
Viscount was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter and teacher, noted for bringing Western theories about art to a wide Japanese audience. He was among the leaders of the yōga movement in late 19th- and early 20th-century Japanese painting...
, Kume Keiichirō
Kume Keiichiro
was a Japanese painter of Meiji to Shōwa periods. His father was Kume Kunitake, a historian.Born in Hizen , he studied abroad in Paris, learning techniques from Raphaël Collin in the Académie Colarossi. He lived in Paris, Barcelona and Île-de-Bréhat before going back to Japan in 1893. Back in...
, and Okada Saburōsuke (1869–1939), among others, studied in his studio and at the Académie Colarossi
Académie Colarossi
The Académie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. First located on the Île de la Cité, it moved in the 1870s to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France....
, where Collin was associated. Kuroda and Kume, who subsequently assumed professorships at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō), were especially instrumental in introducing to Japan Collin's academic teaching methods as well as the lighter palette, brushwork, and plein air
En plein air
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism...
approach he espoused. This mentorship of the first generation of Japanese oil painters contributed to the special respect he continues to enjoy in Japan.
Collin also illustrated many books, notably Daphnis and Chloé (1890) and Chansons de Bilitis (1906).
Honours
- 1889 Grand Prix, Exposition Universelle
- 1894 Officier of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- Chevalier of the order of St Michael of Bavaria
- Order of the Sun of Japan
Principal Works
- Idylle 1875
- Daphnis & Chloé 1877 (exhibited at the Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Alençon)
- Portrait of the artist’s father 1887
- Portrait of M S Hayem 1879
- Portrait of Mlle C 1880
- La Musique 1880
- Petits portraits en plein air 1881
- Idylle 1882
- Été 1884
- Floréal 1886
- Fin d’été & Jeunesse Sorbonne 1889
- Plafond pour l’Odéon 1891
- Au bord de la mer 1892