Alphonse-Victor Colas (25 September 1818,

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

- 11 July 1887, Lille) was a French painter and art teacher. He specialized in portraits and religious art.

Life and work

He was the fifth of seven children born to Jean-Joseph Colas (1779–1858), a tax official, charged with collecting the "

contributions directes The contributions directes were a system of four taxes, also known as the ''quatre vieilles'', set up under the French Revolution. They were all direct taxes, willingly voted into existence by vote of the deputies, by contrast with the Ancien Rég ...

" in Verlinghem, and his wife, Adélaïde Thérèse née Leprêts (1786–1838).Alphonse Colas
@

Geneanet Geneanet (previously stylized as GeneaNet) is a genealogy website with 4 million members. The database consists of data added by participants and is intended for all genealogists. The website is collaborative and the data added by the members are ...

He enrolled at the in 1834. Four years later, he studied with

François Souchon François Souchon (1787 – 5 April 1857) was a French painter. Early years François Souchon was born in Alais, Gard, in 1787. In 1809 he went to Paris to study painting. His father gave him a very small allowance while he was studying. He bec ...

"Alphonse Colas peintre d'histoire 1818-1887", Archives du Nord
Online
In 1842, his depiction of the martyrdom of

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. "Laurel wreath, laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, perse ...

earned him a scholarship to study in Rome, at the . During his stay in Italy, from 1843 to 1848, he travelled throughout the country, studying the works of the

Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

. In 1856, he became a Professor of painting in Lille. His notable students there include Alfred Agache,

Edgar-Henri Boutry Edgar Boutry (1857–1938) was a French sculptor who executed several public statues and monuments and worked on several Monuments aux Morts. He also ran the Écoles académiques lilloises. Early years and studies Boutry was born in Lille and ...

Léon Comerre Léon François Comerre (10 October 1850 – 20 February 1916) was a French Academic art, academic painter, famous for his portraits of beautiful women and Oriental themes. Life Comerre was born in Trélon, in the Nord (French department), ...

Albert Darcq Albert Darcq (Lille,"DARCQ, Albert." ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford Art Online'', Oxford University Press. Retrieved 25 June 2014. 8 September 1848 - 8 March 1895) was a French sculptor who was trained by Pierre-Jules Cavelier. He exhibi ...

Pharaon de Winter Pharaon-Abdon-Léon de Winter (17 November 1849, Bailleul - 22 June 1924, Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with ...

and . In 1850, he married Elodie Joséphine née Holle (1823–1895); daughter of the Chief Notary. They had three sons and two daughters. He was one of the most notable church painters of his time, fulfilling numerous commissions in the region. Among many other places, he created religious scenes at the , the (including a large

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

), the (decorations and a tableau of 16 paintings on the acts of Saint Michael), and the . A collection of

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

scenes are among his works on display at the

Palais des Beaux-Arts The Centre for Fine Arts (french: Palais des Beaux-Arts, nl, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of ''Beaux-arts'') in French or PSK in Dutch. The b ...

. A street in Lille is named after him.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colas, Alphonse 1818 births 1887 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters French portrait painters Religious artists Artists from Lille 19th-century French male artists

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links