Francois Gérard | |
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%2c_later_Baron_G%25C3%25A9rard_MET_DP327712.jpg) Antoine-Jean Gros,Portrait de François Gérard, âgé de 20 ans (1790),New York,Metropolitan Museum of Art. | |
| Born | François Pascal Simon Gérard (1770-03-12)12 March 1770[a] |
| Died | 11 January 1837(1837-01-11) (aged 66) |
| Education | Pajou,Brenet,David |
| Known for | Portrait painting |
François Pascal Simon Gérard (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃swapaskalsimɔ̃ʒeʁaʁ], 4 May 1770 – 11 January 1837),[a] titled asBaron Gérard in 1809, was aFrenchpainter. He was born inRome, where his father occupied a post in the house of the French ambassador, and his mother was Italian.
A student ofJacques-Louis David, he became one of the leading painters of theFirst French Empire (1804 - 1815) and theBourbon Restoration (1815 - 1830). Court painter to EmperorNapoleon and later First Painter to KingsLouis XVIII andCharles X, Gérard enjoyed immense renown—not only in France, but across Europe. Nicknamed “the painter of kings, the king of painters,” he was indeed the portraitist of choice for every European royal family. His salon, one of the most celebrated of its time, welcomed the era’s most eminent figures.
After he was made abaron of the Empire in 1809 by EmperorNapoleon, he was known formally as Baron Gérard.
François Gérard was born in Rome to J. S. Gérard and Cleria Matteï.[1] At the age of twelve, Gérard obtained admission into thePension du Roi inParis. From thePension, he passed to the studio of the sculptorAugustin Pajou, which he left at the end of two years for the studio of the history painterNicolas-Guy Brenet,[2] whom he quit almost immediately to place himself underJacques-Louis David.[3]
In 1789, he competed for thePrix de Rome, which was carried off by his comradeGirodet. The following year (1790), he once more showed up, but the passing of his father prevented him from finishing his work and forced him to travel to Rome with his mother. He eventually made it back to Paris in 1791, but due to his extreme poverty, he was forced to abandon his studies in favor of a job that would pay him money right away. David at once availed himself of his help, and one of that master's most celebrated portraits, ofLouis-Michel Le Pelletier de Saint-Fargeau, may owe much to the hand of Gérard. This painting was executed early in 1793, the year in which Gérard, at the request of David, was named a member of the revolutionary tribunal, from the fatal decisions of which he, however, invariably absented himself.[4]
In 1794, he obtained the first prize in a competition, the subject of which wasThe Tenth of August, that is, thestorming of the Tuileries Palace on that date in 1792. Further stimulated by the successes of his rival and friend Girodet in theSalons of 1793 and 1794, Gérard (aided byJean-Baptiste Isabey, the miniaturist) produced in 1795 his famousBélisaire. In 1796, a portrait of his generous friend (conserved today in theLouvre) obtained undisputed success, and the money received from Isabey for these two works enabled Gérard to execute in 1797 hisPsyche et l'Amour (illustration).[b] At last, in 1799, his portrait ofMadame Mère established his position as one of the foremost portrait-painters of the day.[4]
In 1808, as many as eight (and in 1810, no less than fourteen) portraits by him were exhibited at the Salon, and these figures afford only an indication of the enormous numbers which he executed yearly. All of the leading figures of the Empire and of theBourbon Restoration, and all of the most celebrated men and women of Europe, sat for Gérard. This extraordinary vogue was due partly to the charm of his manner and conversation, for hissalon was as much frequented as his studio. MadameGermaine de Staël,George Canning,Charles de Talleyrand, and theDuke of Wellington have all borne witness to the attraction of his society.[4]
Rich and famous, Gérard was stung by remorse for earlier ambitions abandoned; at intervals, he had indeed striven with Girodet and other rivals to prove his strength athistory painting, still a more prestigious genre than portraiture. HisBataille d'Austerlitz (1810) showed a breadth of invention and style which was even more conspicuous inL'Entrée d'Henri IV à Paris (at Versailles), the work with which in 1817 he paid homage to the returnedLouis XVIII. After this date, Gérard declined, watching with impotent grief the progress of theRomantic school.[4]
Loaded with honors – baron of the Empire in 1809, member of theInstitut on 7 March 1812, officer of theLégion d'honneur, first painter to the king – he worked on, sad and discouraged. He painted several works to celebrate theCoronation of Charles X in 1825. Therevolution of 1830 added to his disquiet, and on 11 January 1837, after three days of fever, he died.[4]
Gérard is best remembered for his portraits. The color of his paintings has suffered, but his drawings show in uninjured delicacy the purity of his line, and those of women are specially remarkable for a virginal simplicity and frankness of expression.[4] His students includedHeinrich Christoph Kolbe.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gérard, François".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 764–765.Corinne at the Cape of Misena., the painting of 'Mme de Staël as her character Corinne' engraved byJoseph Goodyear for The Amulet annual, 1832.| International | |
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