Biography, creativity, the best paintings of the artist

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (born August 29, 1780 died January 14, 1867) is a famous French artist of the first half of the 19th century, who became the most prominent academician of his time. Jean Ingres’s paintings are made in the neoclassical style. He considered the era of the Italian Renaissance to be the highest flowering of the visual arts and sought to return to painting its former beauty. In the works of this author, epic scenes from history, mythology and literature come to life. His portraits are no less highly regarded.

Biography of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Jean Ingres is the son of a painter from Toulouse who settled in the city of Montauban. The future famous academician was born on August 29, 1780 and became the eldest of three children. The boy began to study drawing with his father, and continued at the local art school. At the age of 17, he entered the Paris Academy of Fine Arts and became a student of one of the most prominent representatives of classicism Jacques-Louis David.

Jean Ingres quickly became one of the Academy’s top students. He dreamed of a Rome Prize, which would entitle him to a four-year internship in Italy. In 1801 he achieved this goal by creating two outstanding works at once: “Male torso” and “Ambassadors of Agamemnon at Achilles.”

The second piece made its debut at the Paris Salon and drew laudatory reviews. But the trip had to be postponed for financial reasons. Ingres himself was poor, and the appropriations from the government came only five years later. While waiting for the trip, the artist kept a small workshop, painted portraits to earn money and copied the works of the classics to improve his skills. One of the best works of this period is “Portrait of Mademoiselle Riviere”.

In 1806, the long-awaited trip to Rome took place.

Jean Ingres fell in love with Italy and lived in it a significant part of his life: first 14 years in Rome, then four more years in Florence. When the paid internship ended, the artist did not rush home. In France, his early work was received coolly, and in Italy there was no shortage of customers. The painter admired Raphael’s masterpieces and created many of his most significant works during this period.

The return to Paris took place in 1824, when the famous “Massacre on Chios” by Eugene Delacroix was exhibited at the Salon. Jean Ingres managed to exhibit a large-scale canvas “The Vow of Louis XIII”, after which he began to be considered the main hope of supporters of classical art, opposing the tendencies of romanticism. Later Ingres devoted himself to teaching and did not write his own works often. An important work of the second Parisian period is The Apotheosis of Homer, which is considered one of the painter’s most programmatic works.

In 1834 Jean Ingres went to Italy again and devoted himself to teaching at the Roman Academy. There was little time left for painting, and yet several outstanding works appeared, for example, “Odalisque and the Slave”. In 1841, the artist returned to France in triumph now forever. Its status is evidenced by a welcoming banquet for 400 guests and a personal meeting with the king.

Jean Ingres was happily married to Madeleine Chapelle and grieved her death in 1849.

Some time later, the 71-year-old master remarried to Delphine Ramel, who surrounded him with care and comfort. The artist died on January 14, 1867 from pneumonia, having lived 86 years. He had no children. All the property was bequeathed to the native city of Montauban, where the Ingres Museum, which is still operating today, was opened.

In the history of painting, Ingres is known as the main rival of Eugene Delacroix. Their long-term confrontation reflected the struggle between academism and romanticism. The influence of the “last stronghold of the classical school” was experienced by many European artists:

• Frederic Leighton
• Edgar Degas
• Auguste Renoir;
• Henri Matisse;
• Pablo Picasso and others.

The most famous paintings by Jean Ingres

Jean Ingres’s paintings are distinguished by virtuoso performance and verified composition. The painter himself put the historical genre above all else and glorified the beauty of the naked female body. Contemporary art critics value his portraits more, allowing the best to know the bygone era. Here are Ingres’ most significant works:

• “Portrait of Napoleon on the Imperial Throne” (1806). On this canvas, the emperor appears in the image of Jupiter, which emphasizes his power and authority. There is also a similarity with the figure of God the Father on the Ghent altar.
• The Big Odalisque (1814). The author painted an idealized beauty in an oriental setting and deliberately sacrificed anatomical accuracy to make the image more expressive.
• “Madonna before the Chalice with the Sacrament” (1841). This work from the collection of the Pushkin Museum is well known in Russia. It was written for Alexander II.
• “Source” (1820-1856). The artist has been working on this work dedicated to the search for the perfect feminine beauty for more than thirty years.
• Turkish Bath (1862). This painting with a complex composition is considered the crown of Ingres’ works in the nude genre. The artist completed it at the age of 82.