François Flameng (1856–1923) was a notable French painter during the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th. He was the son of Léopold Flameng, a celebrated printmaker, and received a first-rate education in his craft.

Work

Flameng initially received renown for his history painting and

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...

ure, and became a professor at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

. He decorated such important civic buildings as the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

and the

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

, and also produced advertising work. Flameng was granted France's highest civilian honor, the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

, and designed France's first bank notes. He was also made an honorary Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in the

1908 Birthday Honours The 1908 Birthday Honours for the British Empire were announced on 28 June, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (K ...

. Flameng later received renown for his painting of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was named honorary president of the Society of Military Painters and an accredited documenter for the

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Ministry. His work was displayed in the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

, as well as being reproduced in newsmagazines. At the time they were painted, Flameng's war paintings were derided by many critics for being too realistic and not including heroic drama (although his paintings seem romantic to eyes which have seen photographs of genocide and nuclear war). Most of his war paintings were donated to the Musée de l'Armée in 1920. In 1919 he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...

as an Honorary Corresponding Academician.

Marriage, family and friends

François Flameng and Paul Helleu, 1880 by Sargent

Flameng married Marguerite Henriette Augusta Turquet (1863–?) at Neuilly-sur-Seine on 30 November 1881. Their daughter

Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

married the tennis star

Max Decugis Maxime Omer Mathieu Decugis or Décugis (; 24 September 1882 – 6 September 1978) was a tennis player from France who held the French Championships record of winning the tournament eight times (a French club members only tournament before 1925) ...

, whom Flameng also painted.Who's who in Europe: dictionnaire biographique des personnalités ... International Publications Service - 1980 "DECUGIS Max Omer. Rentier. Né a Paris, le 24-9-1882. F.: d'Alfred, commissionnaire en fruits et primeurs, et de Sidonie Brauwers. M. : le 16-5-1905, à Paris, avec Marie-Françoise Flameng. Enf. : Christiane. Asc. : François Flameng ... François Flameng was a friend of John Singer Sargent, who painted his portrait, he also traveled with

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ra ...

and Victor Clairin in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and tutored Paul-Émile Bécat.

Gallery

File:Reception at Malmaison in 1802 by François Flameng.jpg, ''Reception at Malmaison in 1802 (circa 1894)'' File:François Flameng - Bathing of Court Ladies in the 18th Century, 1888.jpg, Court Ladies Bathing in the 18th Century (1888) File:A Machine-Gun Company of Chasseurs Alpins in the Barren Winter Landscape of the Vosges. painting by Francois Flamenge.jpg, A Machine Gun Company of

Chasseurs Alpins The ''chasseurs alpins'' ( en, Alpine Rangers) are the elite mountain infantry force of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare. History France created its own mountain corps in the late 19th ...

in the Barren Winter Landscape of the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

File:François Flameng-Retour d’un vol.jpg, Retour d’un vol de nuit sur avions "Voisin" de bombardement (1918) File:The pathway of life to which is added a biography of Dr. Talmage (1888) (14779220691).jpg, The pathway of life ... to which is added a biography of Dr. Talmage (1888) File:Flameng - Le déjeuner de Camille Desmoulins.jpg, ''Le déjeuner de Camille Desmoulins'', tableau de François Flameng reproduit dans le ''Supplément illustré du Petit Journal'' (5 November 1892). File:Flameng – Marie-Louise Fould, née Heine.jpg, Mme Marie-Louise Fould, née Heine (1903) File:Zinaide Yusupova with sons by F.Flameng (1894).jpg, ''Portrait of Princess Zinaida N. Yusupova with Two Sons at Arkhangelskoe (1894)'' File:Flameng Francois Family Portrait Of A Boy And His Two Sisters.jpg, ''Frère et Soeurs Brother and Sisters or possibly The Picture Book or possibly Family Portrait of a Boy and his two Sisters admiring a Sketch Book (1900)''

Works

Flameng's portraits include: *Family Portrait of a Boy and His Two Sisters *Fashionable Beauty *Portrait of a Girl Holding Her Two Toy Elephants *Portrait of Auguste Rodin *Two portraits of Princess Zinaida Yusupova in Arkhangelskoye *Portrait of Elsie Salomon Duveen, wife of the art dealer

Joseph Duveen Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen (14 October 1869 – 25 May 1939), known as Sir Joseph Duveen, Baronet, between 1927 and 1933, was a British art dealer who was considered one of the most influential art dealers of all time. Life and career Jos ...

, an oval in the Ferens Art Gallery, Kingston-upon-Hull. * Portrait of Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII, full-length seated, in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. Flameng's history paintings included: *The Carnival, Venice *Court Ladies Bathing in the 18th century *Grolier in the House of Aldus (at

Grolier Club The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Tre ...

in New York) *Molière Demanding an Audience With King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

*Napoléon Studying Military History *Reception at Malmaison, 1802 Paintings of the first world war include: *A Machine Gun Company of Chasseurs Alpins in the Barren Winter Landscape of the

*The Battle of the Yser in 1914 *The Donkey, Somme, 1916 *The Forgotten Front *Heavy Artillery on the Railway, October 1916

References

External links

The Landscapes of War
- page with a gallery of war paintings of François Flameng * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flameng, Francois 1856 births 1923 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists Academic staff of the Académie Julian Honorary Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Académie des beaux-arts 19th-century painters of historical subjects 19th-century French male artists