Pierre Auguste Cot (; 17 February 1837 – 2 August 1883) was a French painter of the

Academic Classicism Academic art, academicism, or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. This method extended its influence throughout the Western world over several centuries, from its origins i ...

school.

Life and career

Cot was born in

Bédarieux Bédarieux (; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in southern France. The town is surrounded by the Espinou ...

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

, and initially studied at l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

before going to Paris. He studied under Leon Cogniet,

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 ...

and

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

. In 1863 he made a successful debut 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, ...

, and from the 1870s, his popularity grew quickly. Cot enjoyed the patronage of the academic sculptor Francisque Duret, whose daughter he married, and of Bouguereau, with whom he had also worked. Bouguereau painted a portrait of Cot's daughter, Gabrielle. Bouguereau had dined with the Cot family to celebrate Gabrielle's marriage to an architect named Zilin. The artist made a gift of the painting to the wife of Duret, Gabrielle's grandmother. Cot won various prizes and medals, and in 1874 was made Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He died in Paris at the age of 46. He is buried at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

Works

He created several works of lasting popularity, including '' Springtime,'' featuring two young lovers sitting upon a swing, and '' The Storm.'' Both these paintings are on display at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

; ''The Storm'' belongs to the museum while ''Le Printemps'' is owned privately. Cot also was renowned for his

portrait 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 r ...

s, which made up the majority of his work. The more enduring figurative work, such as '' The Storm,'' is comparatively rare. Shortly after his death at the age of forty-six (2 August 1883), a subscription was undertaken for a commemorative monument to the artist, which was erected at Bédarieux in 1892.

Selected works

* ''

Dionysia The Dionysia (; Greek: Διονύσια) was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were processions and sacrifices in honor of Dionysus, the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies an ...

'' (1870), Chi-Mei Museum,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

* ''Ophelia'' (1870) * ''The Gypsy'' or ''La Bohémienne'' (1871) * '' Springtime'' or ''Le Printemps'' (1873),

* '' The Storm'' or ''L'Orage'' (1880), Metropolitan Museum of Art * ''The Reading Light'' or ''La Liseuse'' (about 1880) * ''Portrait of Madame Mas'' (1882) * ''Mireille'' (1882),

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 ...

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 ...

* ''Charity for My Sister'',

Wolverhampton Art Gallery Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in Wolverhampton, England. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman (1825–1890), and built on land provided by the municipal authority. It opened in May 1884. The buildi ...

Students

* Ellen Day Hale (1855–1940) *

Anna Elizabeth Klumpke Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (October 28, 1856 – February 9, 1942) was an American portrait and Genre works, genre painter born in San Francisco, California, United States. She is perhaps best known for her portraits of famous women including Eliza ...

(1856–1942)

Gallery

Image:Ophelia (Pierre Auguste Cot).jpg, ''Ophelia'', 1870 File:Pierre Auguste Cot - Girl with Basket of Oranges and Lemons.jpg, ''Girl with Basket of Oranges and Lemons'', 1871 Image:PIERRE-AUGUSTE COT - Primavera (Museo Metropolitano de Nueva York, 1873. Óleo sobre lienzo, 213.4 x 127 cm).jpg, '' Springtime'', 1873 File:Pierre Auguste Cot - Mireille faisant l'aumône à la sortie de Saint-Trophime (1882).jpg, ''Mireille Giving Alms at Saint-Trophime'', 1882 File:Pierre Auguste Cot - Sainte Elisabeth de Hongrie soignant 01.jpg, '' Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Curing the Sick'', 1883

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cot, Pierre Auguste 1837 births 1883 deaths People from Bédarieux 19th-century French painters French male painters Academic art Academic staff of the Académie Julian Knights of the Legion of Honour Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French male artists