CORNU Sebastien-Melchior Jean-Claude Bonnefond

Claude Bonnefond, or Jean-Claude Bonnefond (27 March 1796,

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

- 27 June 1860, Lyon) was a French painter and lithographer; noted for his portrayals of peasant life. His work was heavily influenced by a visit to Italy.

Biography

His father was a baker who died shortly after Jean-Claude was born. His mother remarried in 1797, to another baker who was an associate of her first husband. An elder brother died in military service. In 1808, at the age of twelve, he entered the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon, where he studied with Pierre Revoil and Alexis Grognard (1752-1840). In 1816, he was exempted from military service for being his family's only surviving son. The following year, he had his first exhibit at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ...

, where one of his paintings was purchased by Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry. At the age of 28, he and Victor Orsel went to Paris to work in the studios of

Pierre-Narcisse Guérin Pierre-Narcisse, baron Guérin (13 March 1774 – 6 July 1833) was a French painter born in Paris. Background A pupil of Jean-Baptiste Regnault, he carried off one of the three ''grands prix'' offered in 1796, in consequence of the competitio ...

. Shortly after, Guérin was named Director of the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Med ...

and Bonnefond accompanied him to Rome. While in Italy, he also visited

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

and

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

and made the acquaintance of several German painters of the

Nazarene movement The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...

, including

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ar ...

Joseph Anton Koch Joseph Anton Koch (27 July 1768 – 12 January 1839) was an Austrian painter of Neoclassicism and later the German Romantic movement; he is perhaps the most significant neoclassical landscape painter. Biography The Tyrolese painter was born ...

and

Johann Friedrich Overbeck Johann Friedrich Overbeck (3 July 1789 – 12 November 1869) was a German painter. As a member of the Nazarene movement, he also made four etchings. Early life and education Born in Lübeck, his ancestors for three generations had been Protes ...

. In 1830, Victor Prunelle, the Mayor of Lyon, offered him the directorship of the École des Beaux-arts. He accepted, replacing Revoil, and held that position for thirty years. He created a school of engraving, operated by Victor Vibert (1799-1860), and the École produced seventeen laureates of 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 ...

between 1831 and 1860. In 1834, he was named a Knight in the Legion of Honor.Dossier
@ the Base Léonore. His own work continued to be in the Italian style until 1840, when he turned to painting portraits of the local bourgeoisie. He died of what was described as " blood congestion" after a long period of illness.

Selected paintings

File:The love letter (1830) - Jean-Claude Bonnefond.jpg, The Messenger File:Bonnefond-FTeller.jpg, The Fortune Teller Bonnefond-Blacksmith.jpg, A farrier near a forge File:Bonnefond Voeu.jpg, The Vow to the Madonna

Notes

References

* Nelly Colin, "Jean-Claude Bonnefond et l'Italie", in ''Lyon et l'Italie : six études d'Histoire de l'art'', edited by Daniel Ternois, Paris, CNRS, 1984 Attribution: *

External links

ArtNet: More works by Bonnefond.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnefond, Jean Claude 19th-century French painters French male painters 1796 births 1860 deaths Artists from Lyon Members of the Académie des beaux-arts French genre painters 19th-century French male artists