CORNU Sebastien-Melchior Jean-Claude Bonnefond

Claude Bonnefond, or Jean-Claude Bonnefond (27 March 1796, Lyon - 27 June 1860, Lyon) was a French painter and lithographer; noted for his portrayals of peasant life. His work was heavily influenced by a visit to Italy.

Biography

His father was a baker who died shortly after Jean-Claude was born. His mother remarried in 1797, to another baker who was an associate of her first husband. An elder brother died in military service. In 1808, at the age of twelve, he entered the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon, where he studied with Pierre Revoil and Alexis Grognard (1752-1840). In 1816, he was exempted from military service for being his family's only surviving son. The following year, he had his first exhibit at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

, where one of his paintings was purchased by Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry. At the age of 28, he and Victor Orsel went to Paris to work in the studios of

Pierre-Narcisse Guérin Pierre-Narcisse, baron Guérin (13 March 1774 – 6 July 1833) was a French painter born in Paris. Background A pupil of Jean-Baptiste Regnault, he carried off one of the three ''grands prix'' offered in 1796, in consequence of the competition ...

. Shortly after, Guérin was named Director of the Villa Medici and Bonnefond accompanied him to Rome. While in Italy, he also visited Campania and Tuscany and made the acquaintance of several German painters of the Nazarene movement, including

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ar ...

, Joseph Anton Koch and Johann Friedrich Overbeck. In 1830,

Victor Prunelle Victor Gabriel Prunelle (23 June 1777, La Tour-du-Pin – 20 August 1853) was a French physician who served as the Mayor of Lyon from 1830 to 1839. 1777 births 1853 deaths People from Isère Orléanists Members of the 1st Chamber of Deputies o ...

, the Mayor of Lyon, offered him the directorship of the École des Beaux-arts. He accepted, replacing Revoil, and held that position for thirty years. He created a school of engraving, operated by Victor Vibert (1799-1860), and the École produced seventeen laureates of the Prix de Rome between 1831 and 1860. In 1834, he was named a Knight in the

Legion of Honor 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 ...

.Dossier
@ the Base Léonore. His own work continued to be in the Italian style until 1840, when he turned to painting portraits of the local bourgeoisie. He died of what was described as " blood congestion" after a long period of illness.

Selected paintings

File:The love letter (1830) - Jean-Claude Bonnefond.jpg, The Messenger File:Bonnefond-FTeller.jpg, The Fortune Teller Bonnefond-Blacksmith.jpg, A farrier near a forge File:Bonnefond Voeu.jpg, The Vow to the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Notes

References

* Nelly Colin, "Jean-Claude Bonnefond et l'Italie", in ''Lyon et l'Italie : six études d'Histoire de l'art'', edited by Daniel Ternois, Paris, CNRS, 1984 Attribution: *

External links

ArtNet: More works by Bonnefond.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnefond, Jean Claude 19th-century French painters French male painters 1796 births 1860 deaths Artists from Lyon Members of the Académie des beaux-arts French genre painters 19th-century French male artists