Michel Maximilien Leenhardt (2 April 1853,

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 ...

– 15 May 1941,

Clapiers Clapiers (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Population Twin towns Clapiers is twinned with: * Celestynów, Poland * Collelongo, Italy * Toma, Burkina Faso See also *Communes of the Hérault department A co ...

) was a French painter, known for landscapes, history paintings and

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.

Biography

His father was a bank manager.Brief biography
@ the

Virtual Museum of Protestantism Virtual may refer to: * Virtual image, an apparent image of an object (as opposed to a real object), in the study of optics * Virtual (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse * Virtual channel, a channel designation which differs from that of the actual ...

. In 1872, he entered the "", where he studied with the history and

painter, . During his time there, he made a study trip to Austria. In 1877, together with his cousin, Eugène Burnand, he went to Paris, where he studied briefly at the

École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts 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 The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

with

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French Painting, painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the Academic art, academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon ...

.Brief biography
@ the Max Leenhardt website. Leenhardt-Clapisses

Following that, he travelled throughout

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, visiting Mont Saint Michel, and Brittany. Upon returning home, he executed portraits of the professors from the Faculty of Medicine at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...

. He began exhibiting at the

Salon des Artistes Français The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

in 1879 and would be a regular participant there until 1936. He continued travelling in 1880-1881; across the continent to the Eastern Mediterranean, spending some time in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, then passing through Cairo and

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

. During his stay in Istanbul, he became friends with the Ottoman painter,

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842 – 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman Turkish administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was the Ottoman Empire's first modern archaeologist, and is regarded as the ...

. In 1882, he made it to the second tier in the competition for 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 eventually settled in Paris, but made frequent trips home. During one visit, in 1888, he created panels for the

Opéra national de Montpellier The Opéra national de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon () is an opera company located in the Place de la Comédie in Montpellier, France. The company was established in 1755 and was granted the status of "National Opera" in 2002 by the Minister ...

. Two years later, he married Marie Castan, the daughter of one of the professors he had painted at the Faculty. After that, he returned to Montpellier permanently and opened a studio. His wife died only three years later, while giving birth to their second son. In 1900, he was one of numerous painters chosen to decorate the restaurant at the

Gare de Lyon The Gare de Lyon, officially Paris Gare de Lyon (), is one of the seven large mainline railway stations in Paris, France. It handles about 148.1 million passengers annually according to the estimates of the SNCF in 2018, with SNCF railways and ...

(now known as ''

Le Train Bleu The ''Calais-Mediterranée Express'' was a French luxury night express train which operated from 1886 to 2003. It gained international fame as the preferred train of wealthy and famous passengers between Calais and the French Riviera during the ...

''), creating a panel depicting Montpellier.Louise Gaggini, et al., ''Le Train Bleu'', éd. Presse Lois Unis Service, Paris, 1990 Many of his works draw their inspiration from the history of

Protestantism in France Protestantism in France has existed in its various forms, starting with Calvinism and Lutheranism since the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was a Frenchman, as were numerous other Protestant Reformers including William Farel, Pierre Viret ...

. He also did some illustrations, notably for ''Gens de la Grande Terre'' by

Michel Leiris Julien Michel Leiris (; 20 April 1901, Paris – 30 September 1990, Saint-Hilaire, Essonne) was a French surrealist writer and ethnographer. Part of the Surrealist group in Paris, Leiris became a key member of the College of Sociology with Geor ...

and, as did most French artists of that period, designed posters. He died during the

German Occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

and was buried at the Protestant Cemetery in Montpellier. The following year, a major retrospective was held at the

Musée Fabre The Musée Fabre is a museum in the southern French city of Montpellier, capital of the Hérault ''département''. The museum was founded by François-Xavier Fabre, a Montpellier painter, in 1825. Beginning in 2003, the museum underwent a 61.2 m ...

. A plaza and a street near his studio have been named after him.

Selected paintings

Prisonnières huguenotes à la Tour de Constance.jpg,

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

Prisoners at the
Tour de Constance Leenhardt-Preaching.jpg, Preaching in the Desert Leenhardt-Students.jpg, Students Celebrating the
Sixth Centennial of

Maguelone Cathedral Maguelone Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church and former cathedral located around south of Montpellier in the Hérault department of southern France. The building stands on an isthmus between the Étang de l'Arnel lake and ...

References

External links

Max Leenhardt website
main page

@ La Cabane Trempée {{DEFAULTSORT:Leenhardt, Max 1853 births 1941 deaths 19th-century French painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French landscape painters French genre painters French decorative artists Artists from Montpellier Painters from Occitania (administrative region) 19th-century French male artists