Jean-Baptiste Édouard Detaille (; 5 October 1848 – 23 December 1912) was a French

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

painter and

military art Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate po ...

ist noted for his precision and realistic detail. He was regarded as the "semi-official artist of the French army".

Biography

Education and early career

Detaille was born in Paris and grew up in Picardy. His was a prosperous military family; his grandfather had been an arms supplier for Napoleon. An amateur artist who was friends with a number of collectors and painters, including

Horace Vernet Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (30 June 178917 January 1863), more commonly known as simply Horace Vernet, was a French painter of battles, portraits, and Orientalist subjects. Biography Vernet was born to Carle Vernet, another famous painter, who w ...

, Detaille's father encouraged his son's artistic endeavors. He began his artistic studies at age seventeen under the famous military painter

Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (; 21 February 181531 January 1891) was a French Classicist painter and sculptor famous for his depictions of Napoleon, his armies and military themes. He documented sieges and manoeuvres and was the teacher of É ...

; he had originally approached him to ask for an introduction to the renowned

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...

but Meissonier decided to teach Detaille himself. Meissonier became a major influence on his style, and it was he who inculcated an appreciation for accuracy and precision in Detaille. Detaille made his debut as an artist at the Salon—the official art exhibition of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

—of 1867 with a painting of Meissonier's studio. At the Salon of 1868, he exhibited his first military painting, ''The Drummers Halt'', which was based solely on his imagination of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. With ''Repose During the Drill, Camp St Maur'', which he debuted the following year, Detaille established his reputation as a painter. In the spring of 1870, he went on a "sketching trip" to

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with three other young painters,

Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour (29 June 1838 – 29 November 1910) was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator. He was known for his war art. Biography Berne-Bellecour was born on 29 June 1838 in Boulogne, France. He studied under Fra ...

Alexander Louis Leloir Alexandre-Louis Leloir (14 March 1843 – 28 January 1884) was a French painter specializing in genre and history paintings. Life and career Alexandre-Louis Leloir was born in Paris, France. He was born into a family with a rich artistic herit ...

, and

Jehan Georges Vibert Jehan Georges Vibert or Jean Georges Vibert (30 September 1840 – 28 July 1902) was a French academic painter. Biography He was born in Paris, the son of engraver and publisher Théodore Vibert, and grandson of the influential rose-breeder J ...

Franco-Prussian War

Detaille enlisted in the 8th Mobile Bataillon of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

when the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870; by November he was seeing and experiencing the realities of war. This experience allowed him to produce his famed

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...

s of soldiers and historically accurate depictions of military manoeuvres,

uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...

, and military life in general. He eventually became the official painter of the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

s. He published a book called ''L'Armée Française'' in 1885, which contains over 300 line drawings and 20 color reproductions of his works. Detaille was one of the first artists to buy photographs from Eugène Atget.

Later life

In 1912, Detaille created new uniforms for the French army. They were never adopted by the

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

, but the blue-gray greatcoats would influence later French

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

uniforms, and the Adrian helmet was heavily influenced by his designs. During his life, he had amassed an impressive collection of military uniforms and artifacts. He bequeathed the collection to the Musée de l'Armée in Paris following his death in 1912 in Paris.

Literary references

Detaille appears as a guest at a party at the home of the Princesse de Guermante in Part Two: Chapter One of Marcel Proust's novel '' Cities of the Plain'', where Detaille is referred to as "the creator of the ''Dream''", his 1888 painting also known as '' Le Rêve'' which shows soldiers asleep on a battlefield dreaming of military glory. The painting, which is in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, also appears in ''Paintings in Proust'' by Eric Karpeles, published by Thames & Hudson.

Family

His niece married Charles Otzenberger, who subsequently called himself Otzenberger-Detaille.

Gallery

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Detaille, Edouard 1848 births 1912 deaths Painters from Paris Academic art 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French war artists Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century war artists French Army soldiers French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Members of the Ligue de la patrie française Honorary Members of the Royal Academy Honorary Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order 19th-century French male artists