Félix-Henri Giacomotti (19 November 1828 – 10 May 1909) was a French painter and muralist of Italian ancestry who specialized in historical and religious works.

Biography

He was born in

Quingey Quingey () is a commune and former canton seat in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Quingey lies southwest of Besançon and east of Dole in the department of Jura. The commune is at ...

. His parents were from Italy and he became a naturalized French citizen in 1849. His first studies were at the art school in Besançon. He also took private lessons from , who encouraged him to enter the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. In 1850, he enrolled there and worked in the studios of

François-Édouard Picot François-Édouard Picot (; 10 October 1786 – 15 March 1868) was a French painter during the July Monarchy, painting mythological, religious and historical subjects. Life Born in Paris, Picot studied with François-André Vincent and Jacq ...

. In 1854, he was awarded the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in history painting for his depiction of Abraham washing the feet of his three angelic visitors. He lived at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

in from 1855 to 1860 and studied at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (, ) is an academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

with

Jean-Victor Schnetz Jean-Victor Schnetz (; April 14, 1787 in Versailles – March 15, 1870 in Paris) was a French academic painter well regarded for his historical and genre paintings. Biography Schnetz studied in Paris under Jacques-Louis David. His works ...

. Upon returning, he held his first exhibit at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and continued to exhibit annually until his death. He was given numerous commissions, including murals for the ceiling of the

Musée du Luxembourg The () is a museum at 19 in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' Medici cycle by Peter Paul Rubens) an ...

and a depiction of the

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...

at rest in the north transept of the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs. His rendition of Saint Martin sharing his cloak may be seen in the Church of Quingey. It is said that the Mayor served as the model for Saint Martin. Later, he was appointed director of the municipal school of fine arts in Besançon and Curator of the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology, a position he held for life. Following his marriage to a woman from

Étampes Étampes () is a Communes of France, commune in the functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a Subprefectures in ...

, he became a conservator at the museum there. In 1867, he was named a Knight of the

Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. Although best known for his historical and religious paintings, he also did numerous nudes in the style of his friend,

William Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

. During the troubles of the 1870s, he supported himself by painting portraits. Giacomotti died in 1909 in

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

. A major retrospective of his work was held in 2005.

References

External links

Giacomotti website
@ Monsite Orange
ArtNet: More works by Giacomotti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giacomotti, Felix-Henri 1828 births 1909 deaths 19th-century French painters French history painters Religious artists French muralists French people of Italian descent Recipients of the Legion of Honour Prix de Rome for painting École des Beaux-Arts 20th-century French painters

Biography

References

Further reading

External links