Michel Martin Drolling (7 March 1786 – 9 January 1851) was a neoclassic French painter, painter of history and

portraitist 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 re ...

Biography

He was born in Paris. There, he began painting under the supervision of his father, the painter

Martin Drolling Martin Drolling ( Oberhergheim, Haut-Rhin, September 19, 1752 – Paris, April 16, 1817, aka Drolling the Elder) was a French painter. He was father to Michel Martin Drolling, and to Louise-Adéone Drölling, one of the few successful female paint ...

. After 1806, he studied with

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 ...

. He won 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 ...

in 1810 for ''The Wrath of Achilles''. After having worked at 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 ...

, he became known for the ''Death of Abel'', exhibited 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 ...

of 1817. Consequently, he received many orders and produced, notably, ''The Lord Descends to Earth to Establish his Empire and Spread his Good Deeds'' for the ceiling of the room of Illustrious Men at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, ''The States-General of Tours'' in 1836 and ''The Convention of Alexandria'' in 1837, both for the museum of history in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

and ''Jesus Among the Doctors'' for the Church of Our-Lady-of-Loretto in Paris in 1840. He was elected a member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

in 1837 and was later named a Professor at the

École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...

. His paintings of history follow the spirit of the time: theatricality combined with bright colours, contrast of lights and precision of detail. He died in Paris. His most important pupils include

Paul Baudry Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, ,

Jules Breton Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (1 May 1827 – 5 July 1906) was a 19th-century French naturalist painter. His paintings are heavily influenced by the French countryside and his absorption of traditional methods of painting helped make Jules ...

Theodor Aman Theodor Aman (20 March 1831 – 19 August 1891) was a Romanian painter, engraver and art professor. He mostly produced genre and history scenes. Biography His father was a cavalry commander from Craiova but he was born in Câmpulung, where his f ...

Roger Fenton Roger Fenton (28 March 1819 – 8 August 1869) was a British photographer, noted as one of the first war photographers. Fenton was born into a Lancashire merchant family. After graduating from London with an Arts degree, he became interested i ...

, Alfred de Curzon,

Charles Joshua Chaplin Charles Joshua Chaplin (8 June 1825 – 30 January 1891) was a French painter and printmaker who painted both landscapes and portraits. He worked in techniques such as pastels, lithography, watercolor, chalk, oil painting and etching. He wa ...

Pierre-Victor Galland Pierre-Victor Galland (Geneva, 15 July 1822 – Paris, 30 November 1892) was a French decorative painter.Jean-Jacques Henner Jean-Jacques Henner (5 March 1829 – 23 July 1905) was a French painter, noted for his use of sfumato and chiaroscuro in painting nudes, religious subjects and portraits. Biography Henner was born at Bernwiller (Alsace). He began his studies ...

Cornelius Krieghoff Cornelius David Krieghoff (June 19, 1815 – March 5, 1872) was a Dutch-born Canadian-American painter of the 19th century. Krieghoff is most famous for his paintings of Canadian landscapes and Canadian life outdoors, which were as sought ...

, Armand Laroche, ,

Charles Nègre Charles Nègre (; 9 May 1820 – 16 January 1880) was a pioneering photographer, born in Grasse, France. He studied under the painters Paul Delaroche, Ingres and Drolling before establishing his own studio at 21 Quai Bourbon on the Île Saint-L ...

John Charles Robinson Sir John Charles Robinson (16 December 1824, Nottingham – 10 April 1913, Swanage) was an English painter and etcher, although he is now better remembered as an art collector and curator. Biography He was raised by his grandfather, who was a bo ...

Jules-Émile Saintin Jules-Émile Saintin (14 August 1829 – 13 July 1894) was a neoclassic French painter. Biography He was born in Lemé (France). Jules Émile Saintin was a pupil of Michel Martin Drolling and François-Édouard Picot at the Ecole des Beaux-Art ...

Théophile Schuler Jules Théophile Schuler (18 June 1821 – 26 January 1878) was a French painter and illustrator in the Romantic style. He gave his name to an art award established in 1938. Life The son of a pastor, he studied painting in his hometown, inta ...

and William Strutt.

Gallery

File:Michel Martin Drolling - Head of Christ (study).jpg, ''Head of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

'' (study) File:Michel Martin Drolling - La colère d'Achille.jpg, ''The Wrath of

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...

'' (1810) File:Michel Martin Drolling - Portrait d'un artiste.jpg, ''Portrait of an artist'' (1819) File:Drolling, Michel Martin — Orphée et Eurydice — 1820.jpg, ''

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

'' (1820) File:Official Portrait of Emperor Napoléon I by Michel Martin Drolling.jpg, ''Official Portrait of Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

I'' (1808) File:Signing of the Convention of Alexandria (1800).jpg, ''Signing of the Convention of Alexandria'' File:43MA-B.jpg, ''Agamemnon watching as Achilles presents the prize of wisdom to Nestor during the funeral games'',

Mougins Museum of Classical Art The MACM, the Mougins Museum of Classical Art (Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins) is an art museum located in the village of Mougins, in the Alpes-Maritimes department, France. It is 30 minutes from Nice airport and 15 minutes from the centre o ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drolling, Michel Martin 1786 births 1851 deaths Artists from Paris 19th-century French painters French male painters Prix de Rome for painting École des Beaux-Arts alumni Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Pupils of Jacques-Louis David