Biographies

In an exhibition called «Portraits by Ingres, images of an epoch», the National Portrait of London showed some of his best works until April 25th 1999.

"Portrait of count Nicolai Guryev", 1821

Ingres was a virtuoso as a draughtsman producing delicate, realistic and touching portraits which were full of life.

However, the artist only clung to reality and never tried to embellish the features of his sitters as if his eye had been a camera.

The first artist who imposed himself as a prodigy in realistic portrait paintings was Hans Holbein during the first half of the 16th Century. Holbein produced some magnificent pencilled portraits with the true eye of a psychologist during his stay in London during the 1530's.

Holbein remained practically unrivalled during almost three centuries regarding the field of portrait drawings until Ingres came to reintroduce his masterly manner.

Ingres was utterly a maniac concerning details as his major concern was to depict truthfulness.In fact he drew and painted what he simply
saw and what sitters accepted to show of themselves.

Though he stayed during many years in Italy, Ingres remained linked to the Nordic school regarding his style which was reminiscent of those of Holbein, Dürer or Van Eyck.

Precision was his motto and despite the large sizes of many of his works he behaved rather more like a miniature painter producing portraits in a concise manner.

"Miss Jeanne Hayard"

Even his drawing studies appear to be as much finished as his paintings in which he seemed to cross-examine his sitters showing no sympathy and no tenderness nor compassion towards them as his main concern was to remain above all neutral in his approach.

During his long career Ingres remained faithful to his so precise manner and if he had not put dates on his works one would be much at a loss to distinguish the early ones from the last. Ingres was born in the rather boring Protestant south-western city of Montauban and studied painting in nearby Toulouse. The son of a painter and musician, he first was attracted by music, an inclination which can be detected in his works, which are like pure symphonies.

He then studied under Jacques-Louis David, the master of neo-classicism whose teaching enhanced his cold character though he felt he was working too much in his efforts to reach perfection.

In order to earn a living he played the violin in a Paris theatre while he had been awarded the Rome Grand Prize which allowed him to pursue in studies in Italy but France's finances were in a wreck and he had to wait five years before getting a chance to leave.

Detaching himself from the influence of David, he then showed a great interest in old master drawings and notably in Raphael for whom he nurtured an incredible passion.

"Mrs Moitessier"

In 1806 he produced a stunning portrait of Napoleon on his throne and then left for Rome where he stayed during 14 years and worked intensely.

He then painted some great masterpieces, notably the woman bather seen from the back, Jupiter and Thetis and an odalisque. In addition, he drew over 300 portraits thanks to the acquaintances of his barber.

Ingres left Rome in 1820 and went to Florence where he remained during four years. Back in Paris he met immediate success while other painters from the Romantic school like Géricault and Delacroix had become the new stars of their time.

Those who preferred classicism opposed Ingres to the Romantic painters and the artist opened a studio in which traditions were ferociously defended.
Despite his condescending attitude and his bad temper, Ingres remained much admired by his pupils, notably Chasseriau and Hippolyte Flandrin.

Ingres continued to paint many portraits and returned to Rome to become head of the Art School there between 1834 and 1841. On his return to Paris he received a tremendous welcome from his partisans.

After reaching the age of 60 Ingres kept as much productive and precise as in his younger days. Rich and successful, his works remained much in demand while the Universal Exhibition of 1855, during which his major works were shown, made him a living legend. The French government bestowed him with the Cross of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour and seven years later Ingres became a member of the Senate.

After losing his first wife in 1849 after 36 years of marriage, the artist was remarried to Miss Delphine Ramel in 1851. She survived him after his death which occurred a few days after he organised a musical concert in his studio.

The night following that concert a billet had rolled off from his bedroom fire-place and provoked some fumes which led him to open a window to get some fresh air. Ingres caught a cold and died eight days later.

This sincere artist who was in search of beauty through realism trying to rival his model Raphael and who attained perfection in so many works finally left a long-lasting mark on certain French artists, notably Bougereau and Gérome, who strove to match his latent.