Auguste Bonheur (3 November 1824 in Bordeaux – 21 February 1884 in Bellevue, Seine-et-Oise) was a French painter of animals and bucolic scenes in landscapes. In his compositions he was able to accurately depict the horizon, ambience, luminous settings and space. His works show the influence of the paintings of cattle by seventeenth-century Dutch painters such as Aelbert Cuyp and Paulus Potter. During his lifetime Bonheur's works were compared to those of his more successful older sister, the renowned animal painter

Rosa Bonheur Rosa Bonheur (born Marie-Rosalie Bonheur; 16 March 1822 – 25 May 1899) was a French artist known best as a painter of animals (animalière). She also made sculptures in a Realism (arts), realist style. Her paintings include ''Ploughing in the N ...

. This is believed to have had a negative effect on his career. Nevertheless, Bonheur's paintings enjoyed popularity among British art collectors. In the Netherlands, the uncle of

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

, an art dealer also called Vincent van Gogh, owned one of his paintings.... in view of the affinity of Bonheur's work to Dutch seventeenth-century cattle painting, his works were also collected in the Netherlands. The art dealer Vincent van Gogh, uncle of the famous painter, owned ''Le retour du marché'' (present whereabouts unknown). It was sold at an auction of his collection held in the building of the Artists' Association "Pulchri Studio" in The Hague on April 2 and 3, 1889

Life

Auguste Bonheur was the younger brother of the renowned painter

and older brother of the animalier sculptor

Isidore Bonheur Isidore Jules Bonheur (Bordeaux 15 May 1827 – 10 November 1901 Paris), best known as one of the 19th century's most distinguished French animalier sculptors. Bonheur began his career as an artist working with his elder sister Rosa Bonheur in ...

. Auguste was the first son of the painter Oscar-Raymond Bonheur (1796–1849) and Christine Dorotheé Sophie Marquis (1797–1833). His mother died a year after the birth of her last child. Raymond Bonheur remarried and moved to Paris in 1829. His sister,

Juliette Bonheur Juliette Peyrol Bonheur (1830–1891) was a French painter. She was known for her animal paintings. She is the sister of Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), Auguste Bonheur (1824–1884), and Isidore Bonheur (1827–1901).Galton, Francis ...

, born in 1830, also became a painter, and married the artist Auguste François Hippolyte Peyrol in 1852. The Bonheur family lived in

Magny-les-Hameaux Magny-les-Hameaux () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Population Education There are four preschools: Ecole Francis Jammes, Ecole André Gide, Ecole Petit Prince, and Ecole Jean Ba ...

in the department of

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.École des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1848 in the studio of Paul Delaroche. Like his sister Rosa, he became a ''peintre animalier''. Bonheur preferred the traditional and detailed painting style and received his education at his father's atelier. Bonheur 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, ...

of 1845. In 1852 he won a third-class medal for his landscapes ''Côtes de Brageac (Cantal)'' and ''Environs of Mauriac (Cantal)'', and a first-class medal in 1861. In the 1860s he made a trip to Scotland. His ''Highland Scene with Cattle'' in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

of 1863 depicts the scenery of the Scottish lochs. Bonheur married and had a son named Raymond, who became a music composer and a close friend of André Gide and confidant of

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

(Debussy’s '' Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune'' is dedicated to Raymond Bonheur). In 1856 Bonheur's painting ''Mountain Scenery in the Auvergne: Early Morn'' was shown in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

as part of an exhibition of French painting, along with other works by Auguste and Rosa. This may be the same painting as ''The Ruins of the Château d’Apchon'', exhibited at the Salon in 1853, and purchased by the French minister of the interior on the advice of Rosa. The minister's painting was bought in 1868 by George Holt of Sudley House under the title ''Landscape, Auvergne'', and is still on display there. Auguste Bonheur was appointed a Knight of 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 1867. Bonheur's ''La Sortie du pâturage'', which is in size, was painted in 1861 and exhibited in the Salon the same year along with his ''L'Arrivée à la foire, Auvergne'' (Coming to the Market, Auvergne) and ''Rencontre de deux troupeaux dans les Pyrénées'' (Encounter of Two Herds in the Pyrenees). The ''Sortie'' was awarded a first-class medal, and as a result was included as a prize in a lottery run by the French government to promote the ownership of modern art. It was won by Leblois, an employee of the

Chemins de fer de l'Est The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est (, , CF de l'Est), often referred to simply as the Est company, was an early France, French railway, railway company. The company was formed in 1853 by the merger of ''Compagnie du chemin de fer de Pari ...

. The painting, together with Auguste's '' Le Combat, souvenir des Pyrénées'', later passed into the ownership of Sir Edward Bates at Gyrn Castle in

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

. The poet and art critic

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

visited the Salon of 1861 and noted Auguste Bonheur's three paintings. Writing in '' Abécédaire du Salon de 1861'', Gautier noted the similarity of style between Bonheur and Rosa, although Auguste's landscape settings were stronger and purer in colour, giving an impression of luminous sunshine. On balance, Gautier favoured the paintings of Rosa Bonheur for their stronger brushwork. File:Bonheur way-to-market.jpg, ''La Sortie du pâturage'' (The Return from the Pasture), 1861. Oil on canvas. File:Auguste Bonheur - La Corrida.jpg, ''Le Combat, souvenir des Pyrénées'' File:Auguste Bonheur - Chef de la harde.jpg, ''The chief of the herd'' File:Auguste Bonheur - Les ruines du château d'Apchon.jpg, ''The Ruins of the Château d’Apchon'' File:Auguste Bonheur - Du bétail par un lac.jpg, ''Pasture beside the lake'' File:Auguste Bonheur - Paturage en Auvergne.jpg, ''Scenery in the Auvergne: Early Morn '' File:Auguste bonheur a3274 plowing in the nivernais.jpg, ''Plowing in the Nivernais'' File:Auguste et Rosa Bonheur - bovins sur une colline.jpg, Auguste and Rosa Bonheur - ''Bovins sur une colline''

References

External links

*
Auguste Bonheur, Joconde, Portail des collections des musées de France, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonheur, Auguste École des Beaux-Arts alumni 19th-century French painters French male painters Recipients of the Legion of Honour 1824 births 1884 deaths Painters from Paris Painters from Bordeaux Sibling artists 19th-century French male artists