Joseph-Marie Vien (sometimes anglicised as Joseph-Mary Wien; 18 June 1716 – 27 March 1809) was a French painter. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791.

Biography

He was born in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. Protected by Comte de Caylus, he entered at an early age the studio of Natoire, and obtained the ''grand prix'' in 1745. He used his time at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in applying to the study of nature and the development of his own powers all that he gleaned from the masterpieces around him; but his tendencies were so foreign to the reigning taste that on his return to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

he owed his admission to the academy for his picture ''Daedalus and Icarus'' (

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

) solely to the indignant protests of

François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...

. When in 1776, at the height of his established reputation, he became director of the school of France at Rome, he refused to take

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

with him amongst his pupils, stating he was too old to teach a young artist. After his return, five years later, his fortunes were wrecked by the French Revolution; but he undauntedly set to work, and at the age of eighty (1796) carried off the prize in an open government competition.

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

acknowledged his merit by making him a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

. Joseph-Marie Vien died in Paris, and was buried in the crypt of the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

. He left behind him many other brilliant pupils, amongst whom were

François-André Vincent François-André Vincent (; 30 December 1746 – 4 August 1816) was a French neoclassical painter. Biography Vincent was born in Paris in 1746, the son of the miniaturist François-Elie Vincent. He studied under Joseph-Marie Vien and wa ...

, Jean-Antoine-Théodore Giroust,

Jean-Baptiste Regnault Jean-Baptiste Regnault (; 9 October 1754 – 12 November 1829) was a French painter. Biography Regnault was born in Paris, and began life at sea in a merchant vessel. At the age of fifteen his talent attracted attention, and he was sent to ...

, Joseph-Benoît Suvée, Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours, François-Guillaume Ménageot,

Jean-Joseph Taillasson Jean-Joseph Taillasson (; 6 July 1745 – 11 November 1809) was a French history painter, portraitist, draftsman, and art critic. Biography Taillasson was born at Blaye, near Bordeaux. His poem ''Le Danger des règles dans les Arts'' was noted wi ...

and others of high merit; nor should the name of his wife, Marie-Thérèse Reboul (1728–1805), herself a member of the academy, be omitted from this list. Their son, Marie Joseph, born in 1761, also distinguished himself as a painter.

Works

* ''Sainte Marthe recevant le Christ à Bethanie'' (1747), Église Sainte-Marthe,

Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tara ...

* ''Saint Jérôme méditant sur un crâne'', La Fère, Musée Jeanne d'Aboville * ''La résurrection de Lazare'' (1747), Église Sainte-Marthe, Tarascon * ''L'embarquement de sainte Marthe'' (1751), Église Sainte-Marthe, Tarascon * ''L'arrivée de sainte Marthe en Provence'' (1748), Église Sainte-Marthe, Tarascon * ''La prédication de sainte Marthe'' (1748), Église Sainte-Marthe, Tarascon * ''L'agonie de sainte Marthe'' (1748), Église Sainte-Marthe, Tarascon * ''Les funérailles de sainte Marthe'' (1748), Église Sainte-Marthe, Tarascon * ''Hermite endormi'' (1753),

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

* ''Dédale dans le Labyrinthe attachant les ailes à Icare'' (1754), Musée du Louvre * ''St Theresa of Avila'' (1754–55),

New Orleans Museum of Art The New Orleans Museum of Art (or NOMA) is the oldest art museum, fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans. It is situated within City Park (New Orleans), City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton ...

* '' La Douce Mélancolie'' (1756),

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

* ''L'Enlèvement de Proserpine'' (1762), Museum of Grenoble * ''La Marchande d'amours'' (1763),

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...

* ''Une Femme qui sort des bains'', 1763, (huile 95x68 cm) (private collection) * ''Saint Denis préchant'' (1767), Church of Saint-Roch, Paris * ''Grecque au bain'' (1767),

Museo de Arte de Ponce Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of Art of Eur ...

, Puerto Rico * ''Jeunes grecques parant de fleurs l'Amour endormi'' (1773), Musée du Louvre * ''Venus, Wounded by Diomedes, is Saved by Iris'' (1775),

Columbus Museum of Art The Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts (its name until 1978), it was the first art museum to register its charter with the state of Ohio. The museum collec ...

* ''Les adieux d'Hector et d'Andromaque'' (1786), Musée du Louvre * ''Love Fleeing Slavery'' (1789),

Princeton University Art Museum The Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) is the Princeton University gallery of art, located in Princeton, New Jersey. With a collecting history that began in 1755, the museum was formally established in 1882, and now houses over 117,000 work ...

* ''Saint Louis remet la régence à sa mère'', Saint-Louis Chapel,

École Militaire 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 flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

, Paris * ''Toilette d'une jeune mariée dans le costume antique'', (100x135 cm) (private collection)Auctioned €401,487 in June 1992 by Sotheby's Monaco.

Gallery

File:Joseph-Marie Vien - Lover Crowning his Mistress - WGA25071.jpg, Lover Crowning his Mistress File:Joseph Marie Vien - La Chasse - 1772.jpg, the Chase File:Saint Louis, roi de France, remettant la regence a sa mere Blanche de Castille, par Joseph-Marie Vien.jpg, Saint Louis, King of France, handing over the regency to his mother Blanche of Castile File:Joseph-Marie Vien 001.jpg, Black Sultana File:Joseph-Marie Vien - Sweet Melancholy - 1996.1 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg, Sweet Melancholy File:VienDavid.jpg, Jacques Louis David as a teenager

Notes

External links

Example of work: Cupid & Psyche, 1767
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vien, Joseph-Marie 1716 births 1809 deaths Artists from Montpellier Painters from Occitania (administrative region) 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters Burials at the Panthéon, Paris Members of the Sénat conservateur Neoclassical painters Premiers peintres du Roi 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists

Biography

Works

Gallery

Notes

Further reading

External links