Alexandre Antigna Jean Pierre Alexandre Antigna (March 7, 1817 – February 26, 1878) was a French painter.

Career

Antigna was born in

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

in Paris where he was a pupil of Sebastien Norblin de la Gourdaine as well as the renowned

Paul Delaroche Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (; Paris, 17 July 1797 – Paris, 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subje ...

. Until 1845 his paintings were generally religious scenes and portraits. Yet, after living in the poor quarter of the

Île Saint-Louis Île Saint-Louis (), in size, is one of two natural islands in the Seine river, in Paris, France (the other natural island is the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame de Paris is located). Île Saint-Louis is connected to the rest of Paris by fo ...

in Paris he would incorporate images of the suffering and burden of urban poor into his works. By the

1848 Revolution The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

Antigna was devoted to the Realist style, and continued to paint in this manner until c. 1860 when he began to produce paintings in the

Naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

vein. He exhibited at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1861. He traveled to Spain and

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

numerous times in order to paint multifarious scenes, yet he always retained his compassion for the poor. In 1861 Antigna married Hélène Marie Pettit, who became a painter herself. Their son, Andre-Marc Antigna, was also a painter and miniaturist.Alexandre Antigna.
ARC; Art Renewal Center. Retrieved November 28, 2006. He died in Paris.

Works

Alexandre Antigna - The Lightning - WGA00733.jpg, The Lightning, 1848 L'Incendie.jpg, '' The Fire'', 1850–51 Augustins - La halte forcée - Alexandre ANTIGNA - Ro 1.jpg, The forced stop 1855 CorpusChristiDay.jpg, '' La Fête-Dieu'', 1855 Child at a writing desk, by Alexandre Antigna.jpg, ''Child at a writing desk'' Alexandre Antigna - Scene D'Atelier.jpg, ''Scene from the studio''

References

External links

artfact.comAlexandre Antigna
at

Art Renewal Center The Art Renewal Center (ARC) is a non-profit, educational organization, which hosts an online museum dedicated to realist art. The ARC was founded by New Jersey businessman, author, and art collector Fred Ross. Particular emphasis is given to ...

1817 births 1878 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters French Realist painters Artists from Orléans Painters from Centre-Val de Loire {{France-artist-stub