Ernest Normand (1857–1923) was an English painter noted for his historical and Biblical scenes as well as Orientalist works.

Life and career

Ernest Normand was born in London on 30 December 1857. He painted history and

orientalist Orientalist may refer to: *A scholar of Oriental studies *A person or thing relating to the Western intellectual or artistic paradigm known as Orientalism *''The Orientalist'', a biography of author Lev Nussimbaum by Tom Reiss {{disambiguation ...

paintings, and also undertook portraits. In 1884 he married the painter and writer,

Henrietta Rae Henrietta Emma Ratcliffe Rae (30 December 1859 – 26 January 1928) was a British painter of the late Victorian era,Arthur Fish''Henrietta Rae (Mrs. Ernest Normand)'' London, Cassell & Co., 1905. who specialised in classical, allegorical and lite ...

(1859–1928). They both painted nude figures in lush settings, and were criticised for an apparent tendency towards an excess of sensuality in some of their paintings. The Normands were based in London from 1885, where Ernest had his studio and received support from the circle around Lord Leighton. They lived in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...

, an area known as the residence of many other artists of the day. Frequent visitors to their home included

Leighton Leighton may refer to: Places In Australia: * Leighton, Western Australia, a beachside locality In the United Kingdom: *Leighton, Cambridgeshire *Leighton, Cheshire *Leighton, North Yorkshire **Leighton Reservoir * Leighton, Shropshire *Leighto ...

, Millais,

Prinsep Prinsep may mean any of several notable members of the British Prinsep family. The family descended from John Prinsep, an 18th-century merchant who was the son of Rev. John Prinsep, rector of Saundby, Nottinghamshire, and Bicester, Oxfordshire. ...

, and

Watts Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power. Watts may also refer to: People * Watts (surname), list of people with the surname Watts Fictional characters *Watts, main character in the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful'' * Watts family, six cha ...

. These more senior artists ''adopted'' the Normands, but their criticism was not always welcome. In her memoirs, Henrietta described the overbearing attitudes and conduct of some of the more senior artists. In 1890, the Normands travelled to Paris to study at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the numbe ...

with

Jules Joseph Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French figure painter, educator and theorist. Early life Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on 14 March 1836. He entered the École nationale supérieure des Bea ...

and

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (also known as Benjamin-Constant), born Jean-Joseph Constant (10 June 1845 – 26 May 1902), was a French painter and etcher best known for his Oriental subjects and portraits. Biography Benjamin-Constant was bor ...

. In 1893, the Normands moved to

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area. Upper Norwood is situated ...

, into a studio that was custom-built for them by Normand's father. The couple had two children, a son (born in 1886) and a daughter (born in 1893).

Work

He painted history and

paintings,(f
Orientalistes
/ref> and also undertook portraits. His work was influenced by the

Pre-Raphaelites The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, Jam ...

. Normand painted the "King John Granting the

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor, on 15 June 1215. ...

" fresco at the Royal Exchange in London (painted 1900, restored 2001). File:Pygmalion and Galatea (Normand).jpg, ''Pygmalion and Galatea,'' 1886 File:Esther Denouncing Haman.jpg, ''Esther Denouncing Haman,'' 1888 File:Normand, Ernest - Bondage - 1890.jpg, ''Bondage,'' 1890 File:Ernest Normand - Pandora 1899.jpg, ''Pandora,'' 1899 File:Normand, Ernest - Queen Vashti deposed - 1890.jpg, ''Queen Vashti Deposed,'' 1890 Select list of paintings and illustrations * ''Pygmalion and Galatea,'' 1886 * ''Esther Denouncing Haman,'' 1888 * ''Death of Pharaoh's First Born,'' (illustration), 1905 * ''Queen Vashti Deposed,'' 1890

References

External links

British PaintingsNormand Artwork analysis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Normand, Ernest 1857 births 1923 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters Académie Julian alumni Orientalist painters 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists

Life and career

Work

See also

References

External links