Albert Pierre René Maignan (14 October 1845 – 29 September 1908) was a French history painter and illustrator.

Biography

In 1864, he left his hometown to study law in Paris, earning his diploma in 1866. During his studies he also painted and took art lessons from

Jules Achille Noël Jules Achille Noël, born Louis Assez Noël (24 February 1815, Quimper – 26 March 1881, Algiers) was a French landscape and maritime painter who worked primarily in Brittany and Normandy. Biography His family originally came from Lorraine. S ...

. He had his début at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

in 1867, and continued to exhibit there throughout his life. In 1868, he travelled extensively, painting in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, Córdoba,

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

and at the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

before its opening. Upon his return, he found a position in the studios of

Évariste Vital Luminais Évariste Vital Luminais (; 13 October 1821 – 10 or 15 May 1896"LUMINAIS, E. V.", ''Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'', rev. ed. George C. Williamson, Volume 3, New York: Macmillan / London: Bell, 1904, p. 258) was a French ...

. In 1889, he won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle and received the Medal of Honor at the Salon in 1892. Three years later, he was named a Knight in the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Most of his work is devoted to

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

, although he also produced many portraits. His Spanish and Orientalist paintings show the influence of

Henri Regnault Alexandre Georges Henri Regnault (31 October 1843 – 19 January 1871) was a French painter. Biography Regnault was born in Paris, the son of Henri Victor Regnault. On leaving school he successively entered the studios of Antoine Montfort, Lou ...

. After 1889, he also drew illustrations and painted decorative murals, including some at the Salon des Lettres at the Hôtel de Ville and the . Branching out, from 1895 to 1899 he created a series of

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

for the Salle des Conférences at the

Palais du Luxembourg The Luxembourg Palace (french: Palais du Luxembourg, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the ...

. He was also part of a group of painters who decorated the foyer at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

and was one of several who were given commissions to decorate "

Le Train Bleu The ''Calais-Mediterranée Express'' was a French luxury night express train which operated from 1886 to 2003. It gained international fame as the preferred train of wealthy and famous passengers between Calais and the French Riviera during th ...

", a famous restaurant in the Gare de Lyon, in 1900.

Gallery

File:Maignan, Le départ d'Hector.jpg, ''The Departure of Hektor'',

Princeton University Art Museum The Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) is the Princeton University gallery of art, located in Princeton, New Jersey. With a collecting history that began in 1755, the museum was formally established in 1882, and now houses over 113,000 works o ...

File:Albert Maignan - Fresque Le train Bleu.jpg, Fresco at ''Le Train Bleu'' File:Albert Maignan - Hommage à Clovis II.jpg, Homage to

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her deat ...

File:Albert Maignan - La muse verte.jpg, ''Green Muse'' (depicting a poet being overcome
by

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historical ...

) Albert Pierre-René Maignan - Jules Massenet - Ariane.jpg, Poster for

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...

's opera '' Ariane'' (1906)

External links

ArtNet: More works by Maignan.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maignan, Albert 1845 births 1908 deaths People from Sarthe 19th-century French painters 19th-century painters of historical subjects 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French illustrators French male painters Orientalist painters 19th-century French male artists

Biography

Gallery

Further reading

External links