Charles Thévenin (12 July 1764 – 28 February 1838) was a neoclassical French painter, known for heroic scenes from the time 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

and

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

Biography

Born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, the son of a court architect, Charles studied painting at the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (; en, "Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abo ...

under

François-André Vincent François-André Vincent (; 30 December 1746 – 4 August 1816) was a French neoclassical painter. Biography Vincent was born in Paris in 1746, the son of the miniaturist François-Elie Vincent. He studied under Joseph-Marie Vien and was ...

. Winning second prize in the

prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

for ''Joseph recognised by his brothers'' in 1789, he won first prize in 1791 for ''Regulus returns to Carthage''. Thus he received his first commissions and in 1790 produced the first version of ''The Taking of the Bastille'', which produced a number of commentaries. He received a second prize at the Concours of Year II for ''The 12 July 1789''. After giving up history painting for decorative subjects for a time, in 1798 he produced '' Augereau on the bridge at Arcole'', the first in a series of paintings glorifying the Empire. He left for

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, staying at the French Academy in Rome, meeting Dominique Ingres and becoming the Academy's director from 1816 to 1823. On his return to Paris, he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1825, then named Conservateur of the Cabinet des estampes in the

Bibliothèque nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

Works

*Joseph reconnu par ses frères (1789). Musée des Beaux-Arts, Angers. *Un vainqueur de la Bastille (1789). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *La Vengeance du peuple après la prise de la Bastille ou Assassinat du Marquis de Pelleport (1789–90). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *Le Marquis de Launay, gouverneur de la Bastille, capturé par les assaillants le 14 juillet 1789 (1789–93). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *La Prise de la Bastille (eau-forte, 1790). Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. *Régulus retourne à Carthage (1791). École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. *La Fête de la Fédération, le 14 juillet 1790, au Champ-de-Mars (1792). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *Œdipe et Antigone (v. 1795-96). Assemblée nationale, Paris. *Augereau au pont d’Arcole, 15 novembre 1796 (1798). Musée national du Château de Versailles. *Jean-Baptiste de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck (1802–03). *Abbaye de St. Martin de Sées (v. 1810). *Reddition de la ville d’Ulm, le 20 octobre 1805, Napoléon Ier recevant la capitulation du général Mack (1815)

Gallery

Image:CharlesThevenin-FeteDeLaFederation.JPG, ''The Festival of the Fédération, 14 July 1790, on the Champ-de-Mars'' (1792) Image:Charles Thévenin - Prise de la Bastille, le 14 juillet 1789 - P572 - Musée Carnavalet.jpg, ''The Taking of the Bastille'' (1793) Image:Charles Thévenin - Augereau au pont d'Arcole.jpg, ''Augereau on the bridge at Arcole, 15 November 1796'' (1798) Image:Charles Thévenin - Reddition de la ville d'Ulm.jpg, ''Surrender of the town of

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

, 20 October 1805, Napoleon I receives the capitulation of general Mack'' (1815)

Bibliography

François Macé de Lépinay, « Autour de «La Fête de la Fédération», Charles Thévenin et la Révolution 1789-1799 », ''Revue de l'Art'', 1989, vol. 83, pp. 51-60. (online text)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thevenin, Charles 1764 births 1838 deaths French neoclassical painters Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Prix de Rome for painting 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists