Jean-André Rixens (30 November 1846 – 21 February 1925) was a French painter, known for his classical scenes and portraits.

Biography

He was born in Saint-Gaudens. His father was a master shoemaker. After completing his basic education, he was enrolled in 1860 at the . He paid for his tuition there and supported himself by painting commercial signs and making copies of artworks. In 1866, his painting ''The Death of Alcibiades'' earned him a scholarship from the City of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. This enabled him to enroll at the

École des beaux-arts de Paris The (), formally the (), is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level fine arts education and training. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is located on two sites: Saint-G ...

, where he studied with the military history painter

Adolphe Yvon Adolphe Yvon (30 January 1817 – 11 September 1893) was a French painter known for his paintings of the Napoleonic Wars. Yvon studied under Paul Delaroche, rose to fame during the Second Empire, then finished his career as a teacher. Career Ad ...

. While there, he also worked for

Goupil & Cie Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

, where he specialized in reproductions of famous works. He also made woodcuts and portraits for the publishing firm

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette Livre, a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachette Fil ...

. In 1867, he found a position in the studio of

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

and completed his artistic studies. At that time, his stated goal was to obtain the prestigious . His first attempt in 1870 did not succeed. In 1873, he was awarded Second Prize for "Super Flumina Babylonis" (By the Rivers of Babylon, depicting the

Babylonian Captivity The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile was the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were forcibly relocated to Babylonia by the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The deportations occurred ...

), which was purchased by the government. Shortly after, he visited Florence and Rome. During the 1880s, he gained more widespread recognition and his financial situation improved. Many of his works were popularized by major periodicals such as ''

L'Illustration ''L'Illustration'' (; 1843–1944) was a French language, French illustrated weekly newspaper published in Paris. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in ...

''. He also produced fewer historical paintings and concentrated on portraits in a Naturalistic style. Eventually, he was able to purchase property in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. In 1888, he married Eugénie Poumian. They had three daughters. His reputation was assured when he was awarded a medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The of 1889 (), better known in English as the 1889 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 6 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fifth of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more t ...

. That same year, he was named a Chevalier in 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 ...

. Together with

Ernest Meissonier Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (; 21 February 181531 January 1891) was a French academic painter and sculptor. He became famous for his depictions of Napoleon and his military sieges and manoeuvres in paintings acclaimed both for the artist's mas ...

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (; 14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Ar ...

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 u ...

, he helped revitalize the

Société nationale des beaux-arts Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA; ; ) was the term under which two groups of French artists united, the first for some exhibitions in the early 1860s, the second since 1890 for annual exhibitions. 1862 Established in 1862 by the painter a ...

and organize an annual exhibition that would compete with the world famous

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, ...

. As a confirmed Republican, he participated in the creation and decoration of monuments established by the Third Republic. Between 1896 and 1904, he painted three military scenes in the Salle des Illustres at the

Capitole de Toulouse The Capitole de Toulouse (; ), commonly known as the ''Capitole'', is the heart of the municipal administration and the city hall of the France, French city of Toulouse. It was designated a ''monument historique'' by the French government in 1840 ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he took refuge at

Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges (, literally ''Saint-Bertrand of Comminges''; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Sent Bertran de Comenge'') is a Communes of France, commune (municipality) and former episcopal see in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, ...

, where he helped restore the old episcopal palace. At that time, he painted mostly landscapes in an

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

style. All of those works are still in the possession of his descendants. After the war, he worked on creating a monument honoring those from that area who had died in the war. Later, he returned to Paris and died there in 1925.

Selected works

File:Death of Cleopatra by Rixens.jpg, ''The Death of Cleopatra'', 1874,

Musée des Augustins The Musée des Augustins de Toulouse () is a fine arts museum in Toulouse, France which conserves a collection of sculpture and paintings from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The paintings are from throughout France, the sculptures rep ...

(Toulouse) File:Jean André Rixens - Portrait of a young girl , 1892.jpg, ''Portrait of a young girl'', 1892 File:Rixens-Manceau.jpg, alt=, ''Portrait of the painter Georges-Paul Manceau'' File:Capitole Toulouse - Salle des Illustres - Toulouse coopérant à la défense nationale 1897 - Jean-André Rixens 2.jpg, Ceiling of

File:Rixens Captivité des juifs à Babylone.jpg, ''La captivité des juifs à Babylone'', 1873 File:Rixens_moulin_rouge.jpg, ''Le Bal du Moulin Rouge'',

References

External links

Exposition
at the Galerie Emeric Hahn, November and December 2010
Biography and works
@ the {{DEFAULTSORT:Rixens, Jean-Andre 1846 births 1925 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 19th-century French male artists French wood engravers