Thomas Couture
Encyclopedia
Thomas Couture was an influential French history painter and teacher. Couture taught such later luminaries of the art world as Édouard Manet
, Henri Fantin-Latour
, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
, Karel Javůrek
, and J-N Sylvestre
.
, Oise
, France
. At age 11, Thomas Couture's family moved to Paris
where he would study at the industrial arts school (École des Arts et Métiers) and later at the École des Beaux-Arts
. He failed the prestigious Prix de Rome
competition at the École six times, but he felt the problem was with the École, not himself. Couture finally did win the prize in 1837.
In 1840, he began exhibiting historical and genre pictures at the Paris Salon, earning several medals for his works, in particular for his 1847 masterpiece, "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire." Shortly after this success, Couture opened an independent atelier meant to challenge the École des Beaux-Arts by turning out the best new history painters.
Couture's innovative technique gained much attention, and he received Government and Church commissions for murals during the late 1840s through the 1850s. However, he never completed the first two commissions, while the third met with mixed criticism. Upset by the unfavorable reception of his murals, in 1860 he left Paris, for a time returning to his hometown of Senlis, where he continued to teach young artists who came to him. In 1867 he thumbed his nose at the academic establishment by publishing a book on his own ideas and working methods.
Asked by a publisher to do an autobiography, Thomas Couture responded "Biography is the exaltation of personality — and personality is the scourge of our time." He died at Villiers-le-Bel
, Val-d'Oise
, and was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
, Henri Fantin-Latour
Henri Fantin-Latour
Henri Fantin-Latour was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers.-Biography:...
, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes was a French painter, who became the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and whose work influenced many other artists.-Life:...
, Karel Javůrek
Karel Javůrek
Karel Javůrek was a Czech painter, known for his history paintings. He received his initial training with Christian Ruben after spending time in František Tkadlík's studio; he then followed Jaroslav Čermák to Antwerp, where he studied with Gustave Wappers. Further study in Paris followed, with...
, and J-N Sylvestre
Joseph-Noël Sylvestre
Joseph-Noël Sylvestre was a French artist, notable for his studies of classic scenes from antiquity. He was born in Béziers in South-West France on 24 June 1847, training as an artist first in Toulouse under Thomas Couture, then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Alexandre Cabanel...
.
Life
He was born at SenlisSenlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
, Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At age 11, Thomas Couture's family moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he would study at the industrial arts school (École des Arts et Métiers) and later at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
. He failed the prestigious Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
competition at the École six times, but he felt the problem was with the École, not himself. Couture finally did win the prize in 1837.
Couture's innovative technique gained much attention, and he received Government and Church commissions for murals during the late 1840s through the 1850s. However, he never completed the first two commissions, while the third met with mixed criticism. Upset by the unfavorable reception of his murals, in 1860 he left Paris, for a time returning to his hometown of Senlis, where he continued to teach young artists who came to him. In 1867 he thumbed his nose at the academic establishment by publishing a book on his own ideas and working methods.
Asked by a publisher to do an autobiography, Thomas Couture responded "Biography is the exaltation of personality — and personality is the scourge of our time." He died at Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel
Villiers-le-Bel is a commune in the French department of Val-d'Oise, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:...
, Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
, and was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.