Jean-Eloy Chapsal (25 June 1811,

Aurillac Aurillac (; ) is the prefecture of the Cantal department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Geography Aurillac is at above sea level and located at the foot of the Cantal mountains in a small sedimentary basin. The city is b ...

- 20 July 1882, Aurillac) was a French Romantic painter and museum Director.

Biography

His father was a

coppersmith A coppersmith, also known as a brazier, is a person who makes artifacts from copper and brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The term "redsmith" is used for a tinsmith that uses tinsmithing tools and techniques to make copper items. Hi ...

. He displayed artistic talent at an early age and went to Paris to begin his studies at the

École des Beaux-arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

in 1830. At various times, he worked with

Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was granted the title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the ...

, Merry-Joseph Blondel and David d'Angers. After several unsuccessful attempts to win 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 ...

, he left school. For several years, he was a regular participant in 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 good critical notices. Despite this he returned to his hometown and got married. Once established there, he produced works in a variety of genres, religious and secular, including over 200 portraits. Among his notable patrons was the Delzons family; descendants of Alexis Joseph Delzons, one of Napoleon's generals. After 1845, he began to suffer from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

. As his condition worsened, he gradually gave up painting. He did not, however, become completely inactive. In 1853, he was named the first Director of the "Museum of Art and Archaeology of Aurillac"; a position he held until his death. At present, only an estimated 10% of his known works have been accounted for; consisting largely of landscapes,

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

scenes and portraits of prominent local people; nobility, bourgeoisie and politicians. Most of his identified works are in the Museum. Some are in private collections, and it is believed that is where the bulk of his unfound ones are located. A street in Aurillac has been named after him. A major retrospective of his works was held at the museum in Aurillac in 2012.

Sources

*Oriane Hébert, ''Eloy Chapsal (1811-1882). Portraits d’Aurillac au XIXe siècle'', Cantal Patrimoine, 2011

External links

"Eloy Chapsal 1811-1882 Portraits D’Aurillac au XIXe siècle" par Oriane Hébert
@ Patrimoine en Haute-Auvergne
"Exposition, Du dessin à l’œuvre, Eloy Chapsal, à Aurillac"
@ Cantal.news {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapsal, Eloy 1811 births 1882 deaths 19th-century French painters French portrait painters Directors of museums in France École des Beaux-Arts People from Aurillac