Jean Frédéric Bazille (December 6, 1841 – November 28, 1870) was a French

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter. Many of Bazille's major works are examples of

figure painting A figure painting is a work of fine art in any of the Painting#Painting media, painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or Nude (art), nude. Figure painting may also refer to the activity of creating such ...

in which he placed the subject figure within a landscape painted ''

en plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

''.

Life and work

Frédéric Bazille was born in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon (; oc, Lengadòc-Rosselhon ; ca, Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania. It comprised five departments, and ...

, France, into a wealthy wine merchant

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

family. Bazille grew up in the Le Domaine de Méric, a wine-producing estate in Castelnau-le-Lez, near Montpellier, owned by his family. He became interested in painting after seeing some works of

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...

. His family agreed to let him study painting, but only if he also studied medicine. Bazille began studying medicine in 1859, and moved to

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 ...

in 1862 to continue his studies. There he met

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "R ...

and

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedicatio ...

, was drawn to Impressionist painting, and began taking classes in

Charles Gleyre Marc Gabriel Charles Gleyre (2 May 1806 – 5 May 1874), was a Swiss artist who was a resident in France from an early age. He took over the studio of Paul Delaroche in 1843 and taught a number of younger artists who became prominent, including H ...

's studio. After failing his medical exam in 1864, he began painting full-time. His close friends included

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...

and

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Born ...

. Bazille was generous with his wealth and helped support his less fortunate associates by giving them space in his studio and materials to use. Bazille was just twenty-three years old when he painted several of his best-known works, including ''

The Pink Dress ''The Pink Dress'' (''La robe rose'') is an oil-on-canvas painting by Frédéric Bazille, produced in 1864 when he was aged 23. The work is now in the Musée d'Orsay, in Paris. Dimensions and conservation The dimensions of the canvas, kept ...

'' (c. 1864,

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art ...

, Paris). This painting combines a portrait-like depiction of Bazille's cousin, Thérèse des Hours, who is seen from behind—and the sunlit landscape at which she gazes. His best-known painting is ''

Family Reunion A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year. A typical family reunion will assemble for a meal, some recreation and discussi ...

'' of 1867–1868 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Frédéric Bazille joined a

Zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

regiment in August 1870, a month after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. On November 28 of that year, he was with his unit at the Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande when, his officer having been injured, he took command and led an assault on the German position. He was hit twice in the failed attack and died on the battlefield at the age of twenty-eight. His father travelled to the battlefield a few days later to take his body back for burial at Montpellier over a week later.

Main works

* '' La robe rose'', (1864) – 147 x 110 cm,

, Paris * '' Studio on Rue Furstenberg'', (1865) – 80 x 65 cm,

Musée Fabre The Musée Fabre is a museum in the southern French city of Montpellier, capital of the Hérault ''département''. The museum was founded by François-Xavier Fabre, a Montpellier painter, in 1825. Beginning in 2003, the museum underwent a 61.2 mi ...

* ''

Aigues-Mortes Aigues-Mortes (; oc, Aigas Mòrtas) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitania region of southern France. The medieval city walls surrounding the city are well preserved. Situated on the junction of the Canal du Rhône à Sète a ...

'', (1867) – 46 x 55 cm, Musée Fabre, Montpellier * ''

Self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

'', (1865) – 109 x72 cm,

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

* ''

'', (1867) – 152 x 230 cm, Musée d'Orsay, Paris * '' Le Pécheur à l'épervier'', (1868) – 134 x 83 cm, Fondation Rau pour le tiers-monde,

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

* '' View of the Village'', (1868) – 130 x 89 cm, Musée Fabre, Montpellier * '' Scène d'été'', (1869) – 158 x 158 cm,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

* '' La Toilette'', (1870) – 132 x 127 cm., Musée Fabre, Montpellier * '' L'Atelier de la rue Condamine'', (1870) – 98 x 128.5 cm, Musée d'Orsay, Paris * '' Paysage au bord du Lez'', (1870) – 137.8 x 202.5 cm,

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Gallery

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Frédéric Bazille

File:Bazille, Frédéric - Self Portrait.jpeg, ''Self Portrait,'' unknown date File:Frédéric Bazille Study of Trees.jpg, ''Study of Trees'', 1863 File:Jean Frédéric Bazille - Reclining Nude - 1864.jpg, ''Reclining Nude'', 1864 File:Frédéric Bazille - The Pink Dress - Google Art Project.jpg, '' The Pink Dress (View of Castelnau-le-Lez, Hérault),'' 1864, oil on canvas,

File:Bazille, Frédéric - Chailly.jpeg, ''Chailly'', 1865,

File:Bazille Sutdio in the rue de Furstenberg.jpg, '' Studio on Rue Furstenberg'', 1865,

, Montpellier File:Jean Frédéric Bazille - Little Italian Street Singer 1866.jpg, ''Little Italian Street Singer'', 1866 File:Frédéric Bazille - The Little Gardener - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Le Petit Jardinier (The Little Gardener),'' c. 1866–67, oil on canvas

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

File:Frédéric Bazille - Nature morte avec du poisson.jpg, ''Nature morte avec du poisson'', Still life with fish, c. 1866–67 File:Renoir by Bazille.jpg, ''Portrait of Renoir'', 1867, oil on canvas,

File:Bazille, Frédéric - Aigues-Mortes.jpeg, ''

'', 1867 File:Réunion de famille - Frédéric Bazille - musée d'Orsay RF 2749.jpg, ''

The Family Reunion ''The Family Reunion'' is a play by T. S. Eliot. Written mostly in blank verse (though not iambic pentameter), it incorporates elements from Greek drama and mid-twentieth-century detective plays to portray the hero's journey from guilt to red ...

'', c. 1867,

File:Bazille-Nature morte au héron.JPG, ''Nature morte au héron'', 1867 File:Jean Frédéric Bazille - Etude pour une vendange (left) 1868.jpg, ''Etude pour une vendange'', 1868 File:Bazille, Frédéric ~ View of the Village, 1868.jpg, '' View of the Village'', 1868,

, Montpellier File:Bazille - Pêcheur à l'épervier.jpg, ''Fisherman with a Net'', 1868 File:Bazille, Frédéric - Portrait of Alphonse Tissie.jpeg, ''Portrait of Alphonse Tissie'', 1868,

, Montpellier File:Bazille, Frederic — Flowers — 1868.jpg, ''Flowers'', 1868 File:Frédéric Bazille - Portrait de Paul Verlaine comme une Troubadour.jpg, ''Portrait of

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' in international and ...

'', 1868,

Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Art ...

File:Bazille, Frédéric ~ Summer Scene, 1869, Oil on canvas Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts.jpg, '' Scène d'été,'' 1869,

Fogg Art Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

File:Bazille, Frédéric - Portrait of Edmond Maitre.jpeg, ''Portrait of Edmond Maître'', 1869 File:Bazille, Frédéric ~ La Toilette, 1869-70, Oil on canvas Musee Fabre, Montpelier.jpg, '' La Toilette'', 1870,

File:Frédéric Bazille, Young Woman with Peonies, 1870, NGA 61356.jpg, '' Black Woman with Peonies'', 1870,

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

File:Frederic Bazille Paysage au bord du Lez.jpg, ''Paysage au bord du Lez'', 1870, oil on canvas,

Minneapolis Institute of Arts The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

Notes

References

*Pitman, Dianne W. (1998). ''Bazille: Purity, Pose and Painting in the 1860s.'' University Park: Penn State University Press. . *Rosenblum, Robert (1989). ''Paintings in the Musée d'Orsay''. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

External links