Eugène François Marie Joseph Devéria (22 April 1805, in Paris – 3 February 1865, in Pau) was a French

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

history painter, portraitist and muralist.

Biography

He was one of five children born to François-Marie Devéria, a Bureau Chief in the Ministry of the Navy. His mother, Désirée François-Chaumont, came from a colonial family in

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...

that fled to France during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. His brother, Achille, was also a painter. After their father's death, Achille became the family's provider. Eugène displayed some artistic talent and became Achille's first pupil. Later, he would study with

Anne-Louis Girodet Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (or ''de Roucy''), also known as Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson or simply Girodet (29 January 17679 December 1824),Long, George. (1851) ''The Supplement to the Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of ...

and Guillaume Guillon Lethière. His first submissions to 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 ...

were in 1824, but they attracted little notice. His first success came in 1827 with a canvas depicting the birth of King Henry IV. At this time, he was sharing a studio on the Boulevard Saint Michel with

Louis Petitot Louis-MessidorMessidor for the month of his birth in the Revolutionary calendar then in effect.-Lebon Petitot (23 June 1794 — 1 June 1862) was a French sculptor, who was born and died in Paris. He was the pupil and son-in-law of the sculptor Pi ...

, Pierre Cartellier and

Louis Boulanger Louis Candide Boulanger (1806 – 1867) was a French Romantic painter, pastellist, lithographer and a poet, known for his religious and allegorical subjects, portraits, genre scenes. Life Boulanger was born in Piedmont where his father, Fran ...

. Although he received several commissions, including one for a "Museum of the History of France" that was being planned by King Louis-Philippe, he was not generally successful. So, in 1838, he accepted a proposal to redo all of the painted decorations at

Avignon Cathedral Avignon Cathedral ( French: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d'Avignon'') is a Roman Catholic church located next to the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Avignon. The cathedral is a Romanesque ...

and left Paris. The task turned out to be greater than he expected. Together with unsanitary conditions and a flood that almost took the lives of him and his family, he became ill and exhausted. In 1841, he left Avignon to recuperate in

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...

. That same year, he married his partner, Caroline-Aglaé Duransel (1793-1863), a creole with whom he had been living for many years, and who had given him a daughter in 1831. He was also raising a niece and nephew as his own. When he was feeling better, they all settled in Pau. In 1843, he converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, which soon came to be as important to him as his painting. This created a rift with his family and friends in Paris; one that was never healed. To support his large family, he gave drawing lessons and painted portraits of the wealthy visitors to Pau. In the summer, he would paint portraits at the spa in

Eaux-Bonnes Eaux-Bonnes (, "good waters"; oc, Aigas Bonas) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Description Eaux-Bonnes is close to the small town of Laruns. It is situated at a height of at the entrance of a fi ...

. He continued to send works to the Salon, but they were received with increasing indifference. His last submission was in 1861. He also made several trips abroad, but found few customers. In 1856, he attempted to finish his work in Avignon, but his daughter, Marie, who had accompanied him, died on the return trip. He made another visit to Avignon in 1857, but his work there remained unfinished.

Selected paintings

File:Le retour du marché Deveria.jpg, The Return to the Market File:'Replique de la Naissance d'Henri IV' by Eugène Devéria.jpg, The Birth of Henry IV File:473 Eugène Deveria Famille bretonne en prière devant un oratoire de campagne.jpg, Breton Family, Praying at a Country Shrine File:La Lecture de la sentence de Marie Stuart - Eugène Devéria - MBA Lyon 2014.JPG, Reading the Death Sentence of Mary Stuart File:Eugène Devéria - Portrait de Calvet Musée Calvet.jpg, Posthumous portrait of

Esprit Calvet __NOTOC__ Esprit Calvet (28 November 1728 – 25 July 1810) was a French physician and collector. Calvet came from a long established family in Avignon and was educated at the Jesuit college in the town. He studied medicine at the university ...

Sources

* Sophie Peyre Alone, ''Eugène Devéria d’après des documents originaux 1805-1865'', Paris, Fischbacher, 1887 * Maximilien Gauthier, ''La Vie et l’Art romantiques. Achille et Eugène Devéria'', Paris, Floury, 1925. * René Ancely, ''La Vie pyrénéenne d’Eugène Devéria'', Pau, Lescher-Moutoué, 1940. * Suzanne Tucoo-Chala, "Eugène Devéria : un romantique transplanté en Béarn au milieu du XIXe (1841-1865)", in: ''Bulletin de la Société des amis du château de Pau'', 137, 1998–2, p. 9-32 * Vincent David, ''Eugène Devéria : La peinture et l'histoire'' et ''Eugène Devéria : Variations sur les genres artistiques'', Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, 2005

External links

More works by Devéria
@ ArtNet

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Augène Devéria on Base Joconde
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deveria, Eugene 1805 births 1865 deaths French romantic painters 19th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century painters of historical subjects Sibling artists Painters from Paris 19th-century French male artists