Jean-Paul Laurens by Auguste Rodin 1881, Albertinum, Dresden

Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the 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, ...

style.

Biography

Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of

Léon Cogniet Léon Cogniet (29 August 1794 – 20 November 1880) was a French history and portrait painter. He is probably best remembered as a teacher, with more than one hundred notable students. Biography He was born in Paris. His father was a painter ...

and Alexandre Bida. Strongly

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

and

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, his work was often on historical and religious themes, through which he sought to convey a message of opposition to monarchical and clerical oppression. His erudition and technical mastery were much admired in his time, but in later years his highly realistic technique, coupled to a theatrical ''

mise-en-scène ''Mise-en-scène'' (; en, "placing on stage" or "what is put into the scene") is the stage design and arrangement of actors in scenes for a theatre or film production, both in visual arts through storyboarding, visual theme, and cinematography, a ...

'', came to be regarded by some art-historians as overly didactic. More recently, however, his work has been re-evaluated as an important and original renewal of history painting, a genre of painting that was in decline during Laurens' lifetime. Laurens was commissioned to paint numerous public works by the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 19 ...

, including the steel vault of the Paris City Hall, the monumental series on the life of Saint Genevieve in the apse of the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

, the decorated ceiling of the Odéon Theater, and the hall of distinguished citizens at the

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

capitol. He also provided illustrations for Augustin Thierry's ''Récits des temps mérovingiens'' ("Accounts of

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

Times"). Laurens was highly respected teacher at the Académie Julian, Paris, and a professor at the ''

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Scienc ...

'' in Paris, where he taught

André Dunoyer de Segonzac André Dunoyer de Segonzac (6 July 1884 – 17 September 1974) was a French painter and graphic artist. Biography Segonzac was born in Boussy-Saint-Antoine and spent his childhood there and in Paris. His parents wanted him to attend the military ...

and George Barbier. He died in Paris, aged 82. Two of his sons, Paul Albert Laurens (1870–1934) and

Jean-Pierre Laurens Jean-Pierre Laurens (18 March 1875, Paris23 April 1932, Fontenay-aux-Roses) was a French painter; primarily of figures and portraits. Biography He was the youngest son of the painter, Jean-Paul Laurens. His older brother, Paul Albert Laurens ...

(1875–1932), both also became painters and teachers at the Académie Julian. File:Beaux-Arts de Carcassonne - La Délivrance des emmurés de Carcassonne 1879 - Jean Paul Laurens.jpg, ''The Release of the Prisoners of Carcassonne'', 1879 File:Augustins - L'Agitateur du Languedoc - Jean-Paul Laurens RO 699.jpg, '' The agitator of Languedoc'', 1887 File:Augustins - Saint Jean Chrysostome et l'Impératrice Eudoxie - Jean Paul Laurens 2004 1 156.jpg, ''

Saint John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abu ...

and Empress Eudoxia'', 1893 File:Hotel de ville de Tours triptyque Jeanne d'Arc 2.jpg, one panel of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

triptych, Hôtel de Ville, Tours, c. 1900 File:Capitole Toulouse - Grand escalier - Le Tournois - Jean-Paul Laurens.jpg, ''The Tournament'', 1912 File:Laurens excomunication 1875 orsay.jpg, '' Excommunication of Robert the Pious''

Notable students

Jean Paul Laurens Le Pape Formose et Etienne VI 1870

Moussa Ayoub M. Moussa Ayoub (c.1873–1955) was a Syrian-born British artist known for his portraits. He was an active painter in London and Paris between 1903 until 1938. About He was born 1873 in Damascus, Syria, during the time of Ottoman Syria. Ayoub st ...

Marjorie Bates Marjorie Christine Bates R.A. (1882–1962) was born in Kings Newton, near Melbourne, Derbyshire Melbourne () is a market town and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. It was home to Thomas Cook, and has a street named after him. I ...

Bates at Panvertu.com
accessed 29 December 2007 * Emilio Boggio * Catharine Carter Critcher * Cecilia Cutescu-Storck * Angèle Delasalle * Georges Dufrénoy * Ludwig Deutsch * Sears Gallagher *

Kahlil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...

* Thomas Cooper Gotch * Louise Herreshoff *

Christian Herter Christian Archibald Herter (March 28, 1895December 30, 1966) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who was the 59th Governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957 and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961. His moderate ...

Herter Brothers Herter is a German occupational surname for a herdsman. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Herter (1871–1950), American painter; son of Christian, the furniture maker * Christian Herter (1895–1966), American politician; son o ...

Will Hutchins Will Hutchins (born Marshall Lowell Hutchason; May 5, 1930) is an American actor most noted for playing the lead role of the young lawyer Tom Brewster, in the Western television series ''Sugarfoot'', which aired on ABC from 1957 to 1961 for ...

* A. Y. Jackson * Gustave Louis Jaulmes *

Alfred Garth Jones Alfred Garth Jones (1872–1955) was an English artist and illustrator who worked mainly in woodcut, pen and ink line art drawing and watercolour. Early life Alfred Jones was born in Hulme, Manchester in 1872, the son of Thomas Jones (b1844) ...

* Leon Kroll * Mortimer Lichtenauer *

Arturo Michelena Francisco Arturo Michelena Castillo (; 16 June 1863 – 29 July 1898) was a Venezuelan painter known for his historical and genre scenes and portraits. Biography His father, Juan Antonio Michelena (1832-1918) was also a painter. His mothe ...

* Ella Ferris Pell * Cristóbal Rojas * Robert Poughéon *

Alexander Rummler Alexander Joseph Rummler (July 25, 1867 – 1959) was an American painter best known for his work on murals and billboards. Rummler was born in Dubuque, Iowa to German immigrants Joseph and Rosalia Rummler. In 1888 Rummler traveled to ...

Paul Sibra Paul Sibra (10 September 1889 – 24 March 1951) was a French regionalist painter, painter of religious scenes, landscapes and portraits. Paul Sibra is nicknamed “''le peintre du Lauragais''”, after his native region. Biography Paul Sibra ...

* René Schützenberger *

William Somerville Shanks William Somerville Shanks ARSA, RSA, RSW (28 September 1864 – 28 July 1951) was a Scottish artist who was a tutor in painting and drawing at the Glasgow School of Art for 29 years. His painting ''Tiddley Winks'' sold for £181,250 at Sot ...

Aurélia de Souza Maria Aurélia Martins de Sousa (June 13, 1866 – May 26, 1922) was a Portuguese painter. Biography She was born in Valparaíso, Chile, the fourth of seven children to Portuguese emigrants António Martins de Sousa and Olinda Peres. The famil ...

* Sofia Martins de Sousa *

Henry Scott Tuke Henry Scott Tuke (12 June 1858 – 13 March 1929), was an English visual artist; primarily a painter, but also a photographer. His most notable work was in the Impressionist style, and he is best known for his paintings of nude boys and you ...

* Karl Yens

Biography

Notable students

References

Further reading