Alphonse Legros (8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter,
etcher
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
, sculptor, and
medallist. He moved to London in 1863 and later took British citizenship. He was important as a teacher in the British
etching revival
The etching revival was the re-emergence and invigoration of etching as an original form of printmaking during the period approximately from 1850 to 1930. The main centres were France, Britain and the United States, but other countries, such as ...
.
Life
Legros was born in
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
; his father was an accountant, and came from the neighbouring village of
Véronnes
Véronnes () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Côte-d'Or department
The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France.
The communes cooper ...
. While young, Legros visited the farms of his relatives, and the peasants and landscapes of that part of France are the subjects of many of his works. He was sent to the art school at Dijon with a view to qualifying for a trade, and was apprenticed to
Maître Nicolardo, house decorator and painter of images. In 1851, Legros left for
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to take another situation; but passing through
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
he worked for six months as journeyman wall-painter under the decorator Beuchot, who was painting the chapel of Cardinal Bonald in the cathedral.
In Paris, Legros studied with
Charles-Antoine Cambon, scene-painter and decorator of theatres. He also attended the drawing-school of
Lecoq de Boisbaudran Lecoq is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Karl Ludwig von Lecoq (1754–1829) of French Huguenot ancestry, first joined the army of the Electorate of Saxony, later transferred his loyalty to the Kingdom of Prussia and fought Na ...
(the "Petite école") where he found himself in sympathy with
Jules Dalou
Aimé-Jules Dalou (31 December 183815 April 1902) was a 19th-century French sculptor, admired for his perceptiveness, execution, and unpretentious realism.
Early life
Born in Paris to a working-class family of Huguenot background, he was raised ...
and
Auguste Rodin
François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
. In 1855, he attended the evening classes of the
École des Beaux Arts
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
. Legros learned the art of etching around 1857, and taught himself the making of medals.
Legros sent two portraits to the
Paris Salon of 1857: one was rejected, and formed part of the exhibition of protest organized by
François Bonvin
François Bonvin (November 22, 1817 – December 19, 1887) was a French Realism (arts), realist painter.
Early life
Bonvin was born in humble circumstances in Paris, the son of a police officer and a seamstress. When he was four years old hi ...
in his studio; the other, which was accepted, was a profile portrait of his father. This work was presented to the museum at Tours by the artist when his friend
Jean-Charles Cazin
Jean-Charles Cazin (25 May 1840 – 17 March 1901) was a French landscapist, museum curator and ceramicist.
Biography
The son of a well-known doctor, FJ Cazin (1788–1864), he was born at Samer, Pas-de-Calais. After studying in France, ...
was curator.
Champfleury
Jules François Felix Fleury-Husson (17 September 1821, in Laon, Aisne – 6 December 1889, in Sèvres), who wrote under the name Champfleury (), was a French art critic and novelist, a prominent supporter of the Realist movement in painting ...
saw the work in the Salon, and sought out the artist to enlist him in the "Realists," a group round
Gustave Courbet
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( , , ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and ...
.
In 1859, Legros's ''L'Angelus'' was exhibited, the first of the church interiors for which he was best known. Two years later ''Ex Voto'' (1861;
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon is a museum of fine arts opened in 1787 in Dijon, France. It is one of the main and oldest museums of France. It is located in the historic city centre of Dijon and housed in the former ducal palace which was ...
) was exhibited, but only obtained a mention at the Salon. He moved to England in 1863 and in 1864 married Frances Rosetta Hodgson. At first he lived by his etching and teaching. He then became teacher of etching at the
South Kensington School of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...
, and in 1876 Slade Professor at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
in succession to
Edward Poynter
Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy.
Life
Poynter was the son of architect Ambrose Poynter. He was born in Paris, Fr ...
.
Whilst teaching at the Slade School Legros taught a large contingent of women, who came to be known as the Slade Girls.
Through his field of sculpture he encouraged the design of medals based upon the Italian renaissance style of portrait, illustrating the character, profession or life of the individual portrayed.
The Slade Girls attracted commissions from a range of societies and organisations due to the beauty and skill of their work. Pupils of note include
the Casella sisters (Ella and Nelia),
Jessie Mothersole, Fedora Gleichen, Lilian Swainson (later Hamilton) and
Elinor Hallé.
In his ''Etchings by French and English Artists'' (1874)
Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Philip Gilbert Hamerton (10 September 1834 – 4 November 1894) was a British artist, art critic and author. He was a keen advocate of contemporary printmaking and most of his writings concern the graphic arts. He was an important theorist ...
included work by Legros and
Léon Gaucherel.
[Philip Gilbert Hamerton, ''Etchings by French and English Artists'' (London: Seeley, 1874)]
Legros was naturalized as a British citizen in 1881, and remained at University College for 17 years. He would draw or paint a torso or a head for the students in an hour or less; in the painting school he insisted on a good outline, preserved by a thin rub in of umber, and then the work was to be finished in a single painting. He considered the traditional journey to Italy an important part of artistic training, and gave part of his salary to augment the income available for a travelling studentship.
Legros died on 8 December 1911 in
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
.
Works
Later works, after Legros resigned his professorship in 1892, returned to the manner of his early days—imaginative landscapes, castles in Spain, and farms in
Burgundy, etchings such the series of ''The Triumph of Death'', and the sculptured fountains for the gardens of the
Duke of Portland
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
at
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey in the Dukeries in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is o ...
. Pictures, drawings and etchings by Legros, went to the following galleries and museums:
*"Amende Honorable", "Dead Christ", bronzes, medals and twenty-two drawings, in the Luxembourg, Paris
*"Landscape," "Study of a Head," and portraits of Browning, Burne-Jones, Cassel, Huxley and Marshall, at the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, Kensington
*"Femmes en prière" (
Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
, London)
*"The Tinker" and six other works from the lonides Collection, bequeathed to South Kensington
*"Christening", "Barricade", "The Poor at Meat", two portraits and several drawings and etchings, collection of Lord Carlisle
*"Two Priests at the Organ", "Landscape" and etchings, collection of Rev. Stopford Brooke
*"Head of a Priest", collection of Mr Vereker Hamilton
*"The Weed-burner", some sculpture and a large collection of etchings and drawings, Mr Guy Knowles
*"Psyche," collection of Mr L W Hudson
*"Snow Scene," collection of
George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...
RA
*Thirty-five drawings and etchings, the Print Room,
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
*"Jacob's Dream" and twelve drawings of the antique, Cambridge
*"St Jerome", two studies of heads and some drawings, Manchester
*"The Pilgrimage" and "Study made before the Class" (
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group.
History of the Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...
, Liverpool)
*"Study of Heads," Peel Pan Museum, Salford.
*"Portrait of Cardinal With Patron Saint" (oil painting),
Snite Museum of Art
The Snite Museum of Art is the fine art museum on the University of Notre Dame campus, near South Bend, Indiana. With about 30,000 works of art that span cultures, eras, and media, the Snite Museum's permanent collection serves as a rich resource ...
, Notre Dame University
*"Communion" (around 1876)
References
Attribution
*
Further reading
*
* Dr Hans W Singer, "Alphonse Legros," ''Die graphischen Künste'' (1898);
* Léonce Bénédite, "Alphonse Legros," ''Revue d'an'' (Paris, 1900);
*
Cosmo Monkhouse, 'Professor Legros', ''
Magazine of Art
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
'' (1882).
* Edward Twohig R.E., Print REbels: Haden - Palmer - Whistler and the origins of the RE (Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers) . Published by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in London, in 2018.
External links
*
The Boston Public Library's Alphonse Legros set on Flickr.comAlphonse Legros exhibition catalogs*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legros, Alphonse
1837 births
1911 deaths
French etchers
19th-century English painters
English male painters
20th-century English painters
20th-century British sculptors
19th-century British sculptors
19th-century French painters
French male painters
19th-century French sculptors
French male sculptors
French medallists
English etchers
English male sculptors
British medallists
Artists from Dijon
Academics of the Slade School of Fine Art
20th-century British printmakers
19th-century French male artists
20th-century English male artists
19th-century English male artists