 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Pierre Révoil" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Pierre Révoil | |
|---|---|
 Pierre Révoil (1797), in a portrait byJean-Michel Grobon | |
| Born | Pierre Henri Révoil (1776-06-12)12 June 1776 |
| Died | 19 March 1842(1842-03-19) (aged 65) |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Romanticism |
Pierre Henri Révoil (12 June 1776 – 19 March 1842) was a French painter in thetroubadour style.
He was born inLyon. His father was afurrier. Although he was needed at home, his family allowed him to receive a proper education. He first studied art at theÉcole centrale in Lyon, under the direction ofDonat Nonnotte. In 1793, increasing poverty forced his family to send him to work with a manufacturer of patriotic wallpapers. Two years later, he managed to find a place at the studios ofJacques-Louis David at theÉcole des Beaux-arts.[1]
Initially, he found himself fascinated byGreek vase paintings and found some notoriety for his scenes of theRevolution. He also did many large-scale religious paintings, but soon focused almost exclusively on historical scenes from theMiddle Ages, in what would later be somewhat derisively called the "Troubadour Style".
In 1802, whenNapoleon, laid the foundation stones for thePlace Bellecour, Révoil celebrated the occasion with a large allegorical drawing, "Napoleon Rebuilding the Town of Lyon", which became the basis for a painting exhibited at theSalon in 1804.[1] Three years later, he was named a Professor in the École des beaux-arts at the palais Saint-Pierre (now theMuseum of Fine Arts of Lyon).
By 1811 he had amassed a huge collection of Medieval armor, chests, vases, wall hangings, paintings and manuscripts. This personal museum was used as a teaching tool for his students at the École. By this time, it was also quite famous and was described in detail for theMagasin encyclopédique [fr] byAubin-Louis Millin de Grandmaison. He also wrote Medieval-stylechansons, some of which became popular in the Lyon region.
When theFirst Empire fell, he rallied to the cause of theRestoration and destroyed his painting of Napoleon. The following year, he married the eighteen-year-old daughter of a cousin and moved toProvence in 1818. He returned to Lyon in 1823 and served as Director of the École until 1830. Some of his best-known students there wereClaude Bonnefond,Hippolyte Flandrin andVictor Orsel. In 1828, he donated his collection to theLouvre[2] and had just finished transferring it to Paris when theJuly Revolution broke out. This put an end to his career and he left for Provence again, never to return to Lyon. Years later, alone and penniless, he moved into a loft on theRue de Seine in Paris, where he died.
His sister was the poetLouise Colet and his son,Henri Révoil, was a well-known architect who restored many churches and other public buildings.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
