Michel Martin Drolling (7 March 1786 – 9 January 1851) was a neoclassic French painter noted especially as a painter of history and

portraitist A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

Biography

He was born in Paris. There, he began painting under the supervision of his father, the painter Martin Drolling. After 1806, he studied with

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 ...

. He won 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 ...

in 1810 for ''The Wrath of Achilles''.Grunchec, Philippe (1985). ''The Grand Prix de Rome: Paintings from the École des Beaux-Arts, 1797–1863''. Washington, DC: International Exhibitions Foundation. p. 59. . After having worked at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (, ) is an academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

, he became known for the ''Death of Abel'', exhibited at 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, ...

of 1817. Consequently, he received many orders and produced, notably, ''The Lord Descends to Earth to Establish his Empire and Spread his Good Deeds'' for the ceiling of the room of Illustrious Men at the

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 ...

, ''The States-General of Tours'' in 1836 and ''The Convention of Alexandria'' in 1837, both for the museum of history in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and ''Jesus Among the Doctors'' for the Church of Our-Lady-of-Loretto in Paris in 1840. He was elected a member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

in 1837 and was later named a Professor 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 ...

. He died in Paris in 1851. His paintings of history follow the spirit of the time: theatricality combined with bright colours, contrast of lights and precision of detail. His most important pupils include

Paul Baudry Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

, ,

Jules Breton Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (; 1 May 1827 – 5 July 1906) was a 19th-century French Naturalism (arts), naturalist Painting, painter. His paintings are heavily influenced by the French countryside and his absorption of traditional methods ...

Theodor Aman Theodor Aman (20 March 1831 – 19 August 1891) was a Romanian painter, engraver and art professor. He mostly produced genre and history scenes. Biography His father was a cavalry commander from Craiova but he was born in Câmpulung, where his ...

Roger Fenton Roger Fenton (28 March 1819 – 8 August 1869) was a British photographer, noted as one of the first war photographers. Fenton was born into a Lancashire merchant family. After graduating from London with an arts degree, he became interested i ...

, Alfred de Curzon,

Charles Joshua Chaplin Charles Joshua Chaplin (8 June 1825 – 30 January 1891) was a French painter and printmaker who painted both landscapes and portraits. He worked in techniques such as pastels, lithography, watercolor, chalk, oil painting and etching. He wa ...

, Pierre-Victor Galland,

Jean-Jacques Henner Jean-Jacques Henner (5 March 1829 – 23 July 1905) was a French painter, noted for his use of sfumato and chiaroscuro in painting nudes, religious subjects and portraits. Biography Henner was born at Bernwiller (Alsace). He began his stud ...

Cornelius Krieghoff Cornelius David Krieghoff (June 19, 1815 – March 5, 1872) was a Dutch-born Canadian-American painter of the 19th century. He is best known for his paintings of Canadian genre scenes involving landscapes and outdoor life, which were as s ...

, Armand Laroche, ,

Charles Nègre Charles Nègre (; 9 May 1820 – 16 January 1880) was a pioneering photographer, born in Grasse, France. He studied under the painters Paul Delaroche, Ingres and Drolling before establishing his own studio at 21 Quai Bourbon on the Île Saint-Lo ...

John Charles Robinson Sir John Charles Robinson (16 December 1824, Nottingham – 10 April 1913, Swanage) was an English painter and etcher, although he is now better remembered as an art collector and curator. Biography He was raised by his grandfather, who was a boo ...

Jules-Émile Saintin Jules-Émile Saintin (14 August 1829 – 13 July 1894) was a neoclassic French painter. Biography Jules Émile Saintin was born in Lemé, France. He was a pupil of Michel Martin Drolling and François-Édouard Picot at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts ...

Théophile Schuler Jules Théophile Schuler (18 June 1821 – 26 January 1878) was a French painter and illustrator in the Romantic style. He gave his name to an art award established in 1938. Life The son of a pastor, he studied painting in his hometown, inta ...

and William Strutt.

Gallery

File:Michel Martin Drolling - Head of Christ (study).jpg, ''Head of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

'' (study) File:Michel Martin Drolling - La colère d'Achille.jpg, ''The Wrath of

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

'' (1810) File:Portrait of the Artist by Michel Martin Drolling 1819.png, ''Portrait of the artist'' (1819) File:Drolling, Michel Martin — Orphée et Eurydice — 1820.jpg, ''

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

'' (1820) File:Official Portrait of Emperor Napoléon I by Michel Martin Drolling.jpg, ''Official Portrait of Emperor

Napoleon 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 ...

I'' (1808) File:Signing of the Convention of Alexandria (1800).jpg, ''Signing of the Convention of Alexandria'' File:43MA-B.jpg, ''Agamemnon watching as Achilles presents the prize of wisdom to Nestor during the funeral games'',

Mougins Museum of Classical Art The MACM, the Mougins Museum of Classical Art (Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins), private museum inaugurated in June 2011 in the village of Mougins in the Alpes-Maritimes department, France haclosed its doors in August 2023to make way for a ne ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drolling, Michel Martin 1786 births 1851 deaths Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Painters from Paris 19th-century French painters French male painters Prix de Rome for painting École des Beaux-Arts alumni Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Pupils of Jacques-Louis David