Jean-Antoine-Théodore Giroust (; 1753–1817) was a French neoclassical painter. In 1770, at age seventeen, Giroust started studying painting in the studio of

Joseph-Marie Vien Joseph-Marie Vien (sometimes anglicised as Joseph-Mary Wien; 18 June 1716 – 27 March 1809) was a French painter. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791. Biography He was born in Montpellier ...

, a pioneer of

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

. Among other students was

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. In 1775, Vien left Paris as he became director of the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (french: Académie de France à 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 1 ...

, and took David with him. Giroust thus decided to move to study with

Nicolas Bernard Lépicié Nicolas Bernard Lépicié (16 June 1735 – 15 September 1784) was an 18th-century French painter and teacher of painting, the son of two well-known engravers at the time, François-Bernard Lépicié and Renée-Élisabeth Marlié. Lépicié was ...

. In 1778, after being 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 ...

with the painting ''The Indignation of David'', Giroust left for Rome where he once again joined Vien. Once back in France, Giroust was elected at the Academy, on 29 March 1788, with the painting ''Oedipus at Colonus'', a work of pure

. The choice of a blind hero was surely informed by David's 1780 ''Blind Belisarius''.
Giroust's career was however brought to an end by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. He didn't champion the new regime, and eventually retired to the countryside and hardly painted anymore. Giroust died in 1817.

Works of Art

File:Jean-Antoine-Théodore Giroust - Portrait of a Lady.jpg, ''Portrait of a Lady'' File:Jean-Antoine-Théodore Giroust - The Harp Players.jpg, ''The Harp Players'' File:Jean Antoine Th. Giroust - Prisoner And Child.jpg, ''Prisoner And Child'' File:Jean Antoine Th. Giroust - L'historien Juif Flavius Josèphe Délivré À Rome De Ses Fers.jpg, ''L'historien Juif Flavius Josèphe Délivré À Rome De Ses Fers''

References

Sources * ''Antoine Giroust : Peintre d'Histoire de l'Ancienne Academie'', E.S. Giroust, 1888, Imprimerie d' Amedee, Paris * ''Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection'', 1997, p. 94 Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Giroust, Jean-Antoine-Theodore 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters 1753 births 1817 deaths French neoclassical painters 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists