Jules Joseph Lefebvre

Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911)

Jules Joseph Lefebvre was a french portrait-painter of the XIX century (specializing in the image of beautiful girls), teacher and theorist.

Jules Lefebvre was born 14th March, 1836 in a small French town Tournan. He was one of the salon painters, who mainly represented beautiful girls and women on the canvas. Although his father was only a baker, but he encouraged his son to painting and in 1852 he sending him to study in Paris. There Lefebvre became a disciple of the famous landscape-painter Léon Cogniet and a year later began attending the National School of Fine Arts (École des Beaux-Arts) in Paris.

For the first time the artist presented his work at the Paris Salon in 1855. The next few years he spent in the pursuit of the coveted Rome Prize (the main competition for young artists who after won it, get a five-year study in Rome and the reputation that guarantees a successful career). In 1859, Lefebvre was close to the ambition, but took a second place. Two years later, he won first place with historical painting "The Death of Priam".

The Death of Priam

During his stay in Rome, Lefebvre found their individual artistic niche. He had the amazing opportunity to study the great Italian masters, Lefebvre was fascinated by the mannerists, especially Andrea del Sarto. He copied non-stop his works, and demonstrated the impact of del Sarto in the picture "The young man, painting a tragic mask" (1863). Also during this period revealed his interest in the nude female nature, the first job pained in 1863. Among other works created in Rome should to note narrative painting "Roman charity", which the artist sent to the Salon in 1864 and "Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi", pained in 1866. However, experts received poorly the last story work, and it yielded tremendous criticism. In that year, his parents and one of the sisters passed away. Lefebvre fall into a major depression because of these negative developments in personal and professional life.

Coming out of the depression, the artist returned to Paris with a different approach to art and subject matter. He seemed disappointed with the traditional standard techniques in painting, instead moving to a more accurate rendering of life. In 1868, he exhibited "Reclining nude" in the Salon, which in contrast to his last great work, did a lot of praise. Two years later, his allegorical "Truth" became his first great success.

In the following decades were variations on the "Truth". Many beautiful naked figures have assumed roles of "Mary Magdalene" (1876), "Pandora" (1877), "Diana" (1879), "Psyche" (1883) and "Aurora". His picture in nude style became so famous, that William-Adolphe Bouguereau considered his only rival. While, unlike Bouguereau, Lefebvre worked with a greater variety of models, which can see in his works.

Mary Magdalene in the grotto

It is not surprised the fact that he display seventy-two portraits in the Paris Salon in 1855-1898. Most of portraits, naturally, were female. Among those who posed for him were his daughter Yvonne, the Imperial Prince in 1874, and novelist Alexandre Dumas (1869), which also seems to have admired his work, buying a Femme Nue in 1892.

In the 1870's, Jules Lefebvre became a teacher at the Académie Julian (studio, that studied women artists, as well as men over ten years before they were allowed to enter the National School of Fine Arts). He insisted his students painted with absolute precision like in life.

Jules Joseph Lefebvre in studio

Diana, 1879

A Mediterranean Beauty

After the success of "Truth", he continued to accumulate awards. Through Lefebvre won considerable fame at the World Expos, he eventually took the top prize in 1889. In 1891, Lefebvre became a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts. Moreover, in 1898 he appointed a Commander in the Legion of Honor.

Jules Joseph Lefebvre died in Paris on 24 February 1911.

A Reclining Nude