Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (also known as Benjamin-Constant), born Jean-Joseph Constant (10 June 1845 – 26 May 1902), was a French painter and

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

best known for his

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

subjects and

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, 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 type ...

Biography

Benjamin-Constant was born in Paris. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, where he was a pupil of

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...

. A journey to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

in 1872 strongly influenced his early artistic development and lead him to produce Romantic scenes under the spell of

Orientalism In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...

. Among his noted works in this vein are ''Last Rebels'', ''Justice in the

Harem Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...

'' (both in the Luxembourg Gallery), ''Les Chérifas'', and ''Moroccan Prisoners'' (Bordeaux). His large canvas, '' The Entrance of Mahomet II into Constantinople'' (Musée des Augustins Toulouse), received a medal in 1876. After 1880, he changed his manner, devoting himself to

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

decorations and to

s. Prominent examples include the great

plafond A plafond (French for "ceiling"), in a broad sense, is a (flat, vaulted or dome) ceiling. A plafond can be a product of monumental painting or sculpture. Picturesque plafonds can be painted directly on plaster (as a fresco, oil, glutinous, s ...

in the

Hôtel de Ville, Paris The Hôtel de Ville (, ''City Hall'') is the city hall of Paris, France, standing on the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville – Esplanade de la Libération in the 4th arrondissement. The south wing was originally constructed by François I beginning i ...

, entitled ''Paris Convening the World''; his paintings in the New Sorbonne, representing ''Literature'', ''The Sciences'', and the ''Academy of Paris''; and the plafond of the Opéra Comique theatre. He was distinguished as a portrait painter, especially in England, where he was a favorite of the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

. His portrait ''Mons fils André'' (Luxembourg) was awarded a medal of honor 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 ...

in 1896. Benjamin-Constant painted

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 t ...

(1901), Lord John Lumley-Savile, and Henri Blowitz (1902). He was made a member of the institute in 1893, and was a commander of 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 ...

. He visited the United States several times, and painted a number of portraits. The

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York exhibited a large painting by Benjamin-Constant entitled ''Justinian in Council''. The painting was returned by the Metropolitan to the owners family in 1928. It was purchased by John Ringling in 1929 and is currently on exhibit in the Ringling Museum in Sarasota Benjamin-Constant also taught at

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

; among his pupils was the miniaturist

Alice Beckington Alice Beckington (July 30, 1868 – January 4, 1942) was an American painter. Born in St. Charles, Missouri, Beckington studied art at the Art Students League of New York, where she was a pupil of J. Carroll Beckwith; she also studied for a mo ...

and the Scottish artist W. S. Shanks. He was a writer of repute, contributing a number of studies on contemporary French painters. Along with fellow artists, Nasreddine Dinet,

Paul Leroy Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

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 ran ...

and curator/ art historian,

Léonce Bénédite Léonce Bénédite (14 January 1859 – 12 May 1925) was a French art historian and curator. He was a co-founder of the Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français (Society for French Orienalist Painters) and was instrumental in establishing ...

, he was one of the founders of the

Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français The Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français (; " Orientalist French Painters Society") was an art society founded in 1893 to promote not only Orientalism but also the travel of French artists in the Far East. Formation and early history Fo ...

.Benjamin, R., ''Orientalist Aesthetics: Art, Colonialism, and French North Africa, 1880-1930,'' University of California Press, 2003, p.57 He died in Paris on 26 May 1902.

Gallery

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant - Arabes assis.jpg, ''Arabes assis'' (1877)
Benjamin-Constant-Arabian Nights.jpg, ''Les nuits arabes''
1879 Benjamin-Constant - Favorite of the Emir.jpg, ''La favorite d'émir'' (1879)
Judith MET DT2818.jpg, ''Judith''
Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant - Marchand de tapis à Tanger.jpg, ''Marchand de tapis à Tanger'' (1883)
Benjamin-Constant-The Entry of Mahomet II into Constantinople-1876.jpg, ''Entrée de Mehmed II dans Constantinople'' (1876)
Jean-Joseph Benjamin Constant-Reclining Odalisque.jpg, Reclining Odalisque
Capitole Toulouse - Salle des Illustres - L'entrée à Toulouse du pape Urbain II en 1096 par Benjamin Constant.jpg, ''Entrée du Pape Urbain à Toulouse''

Publications

* *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin-Constant, Jean-Joseph 1845 births 1902 deaths 19th-century French painters 20th-century French painters 19th-century French male artists 20th-century French male artists Academic art Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur French male non-fiction writers French male painters French biographers Académie Julian faculty Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Orientalist painters

Biography

Gallery

See also

Publications

References

External links